Rabbit Hole Invitations

Cryptic invitations to start playing games.

While most games are easy to note as being games, some games deliberately try to hide their existence, at least to those not playing them. This can cause a problem with recruiting players, especially for those games that are staged professionally and intended to get the general public to participate in them. Rabbit Hole Invitations

See the paper Participant Roles in Socially Expanded Games and the book Pervasive Games - Theory and Design for more information on this and other types of invitations to games not clearly broadcasting themselves as games.

Examples

The initial invitation to play the Alternate Reality Game The Beast was three types of clues contained in trailers and posters related to the movie A.I.

Using the pattern

Given its definition, Rabbit Hole Invitations make most sense to use for games with Alternate Reality Gameplay. In essence, they are Clues although ones that relate more to being able to start playing than on how to play.

An alternative to Rabbit Hole Invitations is Fake Game Cancellations.

Interface Aspects

Rabbit Hole Invitations is a Interface Pattern.

Consequences

Rabbit Hole Invitations is a way of inviting players to games with Alternate Reality Gameplay but these invitations typically require players to do some Puzzle Solving before actually being part of the gameplay. They are examples of Extra-Game Broadcasting and create Crossmedia Gameplay since they often make use of other mediums than the actual gameplay uses.

Relations

Can Instantiate

Crossmedia Gameplay, Extra-Game Broadcasting, Puzzle Solving

Can Modulate

Alternate Reality Gameplay

Can Be Instantiated By

Clues

Can Be Modulated By

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Possible Closure Effects

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Potentially Conflicting With

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History

New pattern created in this wiki.

Acknowledgements

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