Introduction to the Game

In this post, I'll give an overall description of the game so far:

As far as I can tell, this ARG was first presented to the public through networking sites like Myspace, as well as a series of video replies on YouTube to videos of supposed paranormal sightings. In these videos, Hector Macchiato and Baron Rude introduce themselves as "the PIE guys"--PIE meaning Paranormal Investigation Experts--and give a very brief and humourous overview of what they think of the paranormal phenomena in the original video. They also mention their JUMP theory, which professes that strange paranormal mysteries occur just before technological breakthroughs, and they encourage viewers to go to their website and check out their research.

The Terms of Service on the PIE website make it clear that it is part of an ARG, revealing that it is sponsored by Sun Microsystems, the makers of the Java programming language and Solaris operating system. It is made apparent that there will be challenges that will promote the use of coding, and the NetBeans development environment and JavaFX Production Suite are included in the website's recruit kit. From my perspective at this point, it seems that the game is an attempt to promote JavaFX, which looks like a Java-esque tool for creating creative and visually-appealing applets and application. The PIE website itself implements JavaFX in it's Media Room section.

In the Media Room (and through their network on sites like Facebook and MySpace), one can find an introduction to the PIE guys and their JUMP theory. They believe that another "Jump" is about to occur, and so they are making almost-daily updates to the site with journal entries, pictures, and videos. Through these updates, the story of the game unfolds, revealing strange cuneiform graffiti on the side of their house, mysterious men in blue jumpsuits stalking them, scary treks through the woods, and a whole lot of other uncanny happenings. It's an interesting story, if you can stand the PIE guys' buffoonery; Baron's in particular.

At the same time, the players are given challenges by a strange entity working through the PIE website. These challenges are puzzles that seem to include coding problems that, when solved, unlock Clues to potentially help put together the mystery of what's behind this strange series of events. As a student studying computer science, I think this looks like it's going to be fun.

In closing, I want to note how strange it is that the ARG appeared to begin with promoting itself to people who are genuinely interested in the paranormal. I mean, it's about computer programming, but it's targetting people who don't seem to be into that kind of thing. But that's just my perspective, of course; maybe I'm mistaken.