Alternate Reality Gaming is a relatively new genre of game that requires players to use things in the real world, such as email, phones, and even local locations to interact with the fictional gaming world. Yeah, that does seem kind of weird seeing as it seems impossible to interact with a fictitious game that exists online with phones, email, and the like. But it is possible with Alternate Reality Gaming.

Alternate reality games can operate in many different ways using different real world equipment. An Alternate Reality Game could unfold something like this: You come across the game’s website, which has information about fictitious characters in a fictitious place and involves a problem or mystery. There might be a list of suspects, with their email addresses. You decide to check out the website of one suspect, using your computer to access the site. Once there you decide to use the provided email address to ask a few questions, using your real world email account to communicate with a fictitious person in the game. You also notice a phone number and address as contact information for the fictitious company in the game and if you summon up the courage to call for more clues you will find that you can actually talk to a “real person” from the fictitious world. All of this investigating is done using real world tools, your computer, your email, and your phone, but you are communicating with fictitious people in the game’s made up world.

Alternate Reality Games can have many more features than these but the idea is the same; you interact with the fictional world using thinks found in the real world. Another integral part of Alternate Reality Games is that you do not assume the role of a different person or character like you do in console or computer role playing games, rather you play the game as your real world self. You do not need any special equipment to play Alternate Reality Games either, no game console, software, or downloads are required. You need real world things, the internet, phones, email, even concrete things such as billboards and local locations are involved.

You also do not usually have to pay anything to play with no “game” to buy, controllers or consoles needed. There is also no membership fees like with online RPG’s. The only expenses you might incur would be the cost of a stamp to mail a letter to one of the games characters, or using some of your cell phone minutes to call a phone number from the game. Some of the larger Alternate Reality Games have had live events which you would have to spend some gas money to get to, but n the traditional sense they are free.

Because you can’t go to the local game store and buy an Alternate Reality Game, or download it like an online RPG, you have to go out and look for games that are just starting or in progress. There are a few forums and websites dedicated to Alternate Reality Games such as unfiction and ARGN where you can find information about currently running games, or maybe you will get lucky and stumble upon a mystery yourself.