ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

History of alternate reality games

Hey there little one! Have you ever heard of something called an "alternate reality game" or an ARG for short? It's a really cool kind of game that started becoming popular in the early 2000s.

You know how sometimes you play video games and everything that happens in the game is all made up and doesn't have anything to do with the real world? Well, with alternate reality games, the game is actually a kind of mix between the real world and a made up world.

It all started when some really smart people thought it would be cool to create a game that wasn't just played on a computer or a video game console, but was played in the real world too. They wanted to make a game where players could interact with the game's story and characters in real life.

So, they came up with a game idea that would involve things like websites, phone numbers, emails, letters, and even real-life events in different cities! Players would have to solve puzzles and complete challenges to unlock clues that would help them progress through the game's story.

These early alternate reality games were pretty simple, but as time went on, they became more and more complex. People started creating games that involved multiple media platforms like Twitter, YouTube, and even augmented reality experiences!

Some of the most famous ARGs include games like "I Love Bees" which tied into the video game "Halo 2", "The Beast" which was about the movie "A.I. Artificial Intelligence", and "The Lost Experience" which was tied to the TV show "Lost".

Alternate reality games are really cool because they allow players to become a part of a story in ways that traditional video games can't. So if you ever get the chance to play an ARG, you should definitely give it a try!