Cool new ARF* from Continuous Labs

A few months ago I learned about a new Alternate Reality Fiction world being started by Continuous Labs. I already knew about ARG’s, but ARF was a new one for me. I’m not entirely sure I understand what I’m seeing, but I like it (and in entertainment, just keeping someone’s attention is half the battle – for some, it’s the entire battle).

My uncertainty as to what exactly is going on is a tribute to how well they’ve constructed the Alternate Reality portion of the world. They are using multiple channels for content distribution (blogs, websites, twitter feeds, etc.), and almost all of it is “total immersion.” If you’re not familiar with the concept behind ARG’s, think of your first day in a foreign language class where the teacher refuses to speak only that foreign language…you have to pick things up contextually, looking for patterns, trying to piece together clues in a way that makes sense so you can get the bigger picture (solve the mystery, find the treasure, save the world, whatever). The challenge of learning the system/world can be as much or more fun than the act of finishing/solving the game.

What makes Continuous Coast’s world more AR Fiction than AR Game is the clear lack of an “end-game” point. I suspect/presume that the world will continue to develop and grow for a long time, and they probably aren’t exactly sure where it may end up.

What I find really cool about their project is their use of a Creative Commons license for the content.

Continuous Labs is also encouraging outside submissions of content for publishing within the fictional world they’ve developed, provided it fits within the world, bringing their project full circle with a collaborative approach to world building (or as I like to call it, “building worlds through conversations, not monologues”). And it’s not just words or images: they are casting a wide net, creating ways for people to sell actual, physical items (though these crafted goods are apparently ported from the fictional world or replicated from the originals in the world or something…as I said, it’s equal parts confusing and intriguing).

I’m really excited to see that Continuous Labs seems to be taking a “collaboration + Creative Commons = goodness” approach to content.

I personally think a new niche in entertainment is about to explode, and Continuous Labs is helping to light the fuse: user-generated content created in a collaborative environment, managed by central group, and digitally distributed in ways that encourage the sharing, remixing, and reusing of the content. Anyone else got a match?

* Credit to The Gameshelf for the Alternate Reality Fiction label