Riddles provide alternate reality game for campus

It all started with a flyer.

Seven telecommunications graduate students started to post flyers with riddles and clues about characters all over campus and Bloomington. The flyers lured players in by advising them to participate in an alternate reality game.

The alternate reality game, which was a project for a class, took players online and around Bloomington to play the game in real time for nine days. The clues were about characters that were part of the game and gave insight into Bloomington’s history.

“It’s like being inside of a play,” said Lee Sheldon, assistant professor in the Department of Telecommunications.

He taught the class for the first time this past semester.

Sheldon said he thinks it is the first time a class about alternate reality games was taught anywhere.

The game was based around a mysterious journal that was believed to be from someone who worked at one of the circuses that used to be based in Bloomington. The game explored historical aspects of Bloomington. The ultimate goal was to solve the script that was in the journal, which was created by the students for the game.

Parts of the journal would be posted online for players to solve clues to the game.

The alternate reality game was created as part of a class project for a graduate class titled Alternate Reality Games within the Department of Telecommunications at IU.

Sheldon said the class spent the semester learning about alternate reality games and how to write for the game. Prior to teaching the class, Sheldon had been part of three other alternate reality games.

Matthew Haselton, a graduate student who participated in the making of the game, said the group used a blog, Facebook and Twitter to release information about the game. They also created videos, paintings and a journal to add to the game.

The students brought their talents together to use different mediums to create the game, Haselton said. The group would respond and steer the game based on what the players found out. In general they tried to stay out of the game and let the participants play.

The game also made players go to different businesses in Bloomington.

“You can play in real life,” Haselton said.

Some of the businesses that participated in the game included WonderLab, The Garret, Crazy Horse, Siam House and Game Preserve, according to the game’s blog.

Louise Schlesinger, the marketing director of WonderLab, said WonderLab participated in the game by placing a clue in the gift shop of its museum.

“It seemed like it would be fun for WonderLab,” she said.

The museum was chosen because it is in the historical area of Bloomington, Schlesinger said. The clue was placed in the gift shop because people do not have to pay to get in.

At another location the group was able to stage a break-in that the players participated in, Haselton said.

Although the group cannot determine how many people were playing during the entire game, Sheldon said the blog received up to 300 hits.

Haselton said the group has thought about taking the same concept of the alternate reality game and applying it at other college campuses.

Sheldon said the game exceeded his expectations for the class.

“Not many people played in the end,” he said. “The people who were involved were running around town.”