I’m usually up on gaming hype, but the first time I heard about I Love Bees was in this NYT article. It reminds me of a game I played a few years ago called Majestic. Same principle–the game’s creators would plant clues and instructions on various websites that would advance the game’s plot. I Love Bees goes the extra mile by encouraging players to leave their computers and interact with the real world. For example, players would have to seek out pay phones that would ring at a precise time with instructions or another clue. You’re going to see a lot more of these types of games being developed. They’re a great viral marketing tool (I Love Bees is a promotion for the Xbox game Halo 2; a similar game was done a few years ago for the movie AI). And they’re cheap to produce. All you need to do is assemble a few writers, some web designers, maybe a few voice actors. If this whole policy wonk thing doesn’t work out, maybe I can write scripts for another game–a game featuring a man in a wheelchair who issues cryptic clues about an international conspiracy from the comfort of his base of operations in an anonymous condominium building in an anonymous Midwestern city
I went to a new dentist today. Apparently, I have very hearty, decay-resistant teeth. Considering how little use they get (most of my nutrition comes through a gastrostomy tube, for those of you new to this blog), my teeth shouldn’t be falling out of my head anytime soon. My teeth are kind of like the after-market rims some kids put on their cars; all form and not much function.
