Games Industry Wire

I was very surprised to read that GM, the struggling automaker that is soon to be replaced in the big 3 list by Toyota, had reached out to alternative fuel and alternative gaming. It’s strategies like this that really make the public stand up and take notice. In fact, one of the game players that was interviewed by AdAge said that he had an unfavorable view of GM before the game and his view was now favorable after the game ended. Smart…

The game, found at www.whoisbenstove.com, was launched to draw attention to their soon to be launching initiative into alternative ethanol fuel technology, “Live Green, Go Yellow”. GM’s backing was kept secret until the very end and the 4 month game took up between 15 minutes and 4 hours per day of user’s time. Here’s a description of the game:

The story unfolded over 12 weeks, with twists and turns including alien appearances and conspiracy theories. One discovery: The crop-circle painting and other clues nearly matched ethanol’s molecular makeup.

Gamers called officials in Newton to try to track down both Tucker Darby and Benjamin Stove. They created their own set of rules and established a complaints department. A university newspaper in Finland actually sought to interview Mr. Darby, Mr. Kogler said.

Players also tracked clues leading to real-world destinations, such as libraries in eight cities, where the game’s puppet masters had left hints in rare books from the 1950s. A man in a black trench coat offered additional information at a bar in Manhattan.

The numbers:

• 1000 players
• 1.8M page views
• 383,829 people spent 17 minutes per visit

Audi also used an ARG last year (Art of the Heist), as did Microsoft (I love bees) and ABC’s Lost ARG is still going on now. GMD Studios, the makers of the Audi ARG, executed the game. Campbell-Ewald Agency designed the game, and many of their agency posed as key roles in the game.

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