Jamie Kane is an ARG that the BBC developed for, I think 11-18 girls. The game is named after a sucessful singer who has ‘died’ in mysterious circumstances. The player has get to the bottom of the situation, by playing a number of games that gets them closer to the truth by working in cohorts with other Jamie Kane fanatics/conspiracists.
The key to a sucessful ARG is one that keeps the created reality ‘real’, and authentic. This concept is known as TINAG, or This Is Not A Game: ‘Developers and players involved in an ARG will preserve the curtain by maintaining that the events happening within it are real. This concept is summarized by the phrase This Is Not A Game.’
The BBC use their output to their advantage, with Jamie Kane-related content appearing on their other websites for their internal brands -Top of the Pops (both website and magazine) and BBC News (Broadcasting). It also used its status to use involve other brands that are very popular, important and relevant to the intended audience – NME, Heat and Bliss.
While there may be debate to whether this is a true ARG (it can be contested because you can sign in and start it at any time, many ARGs occur over a discreet persiod of time), I think this model is one that can be used in an educational context. I am going to analyse Jamie Kane in terms of its:
- use of Web 2.0 techniques
- possible use or reappropriation in an educational context
- ludic structures
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