I < Bees ARG response

1.       In your opinion, what makes games fun?

I would be lying if I told you I was a really big gamer and I often found myself emerged in other worlds.  I don’t play games very often due to my busy schedule and lack of free time.  Even though I rarely play games I do appreciate what they do for our world and then unique opportunities they offer us. 

When I play games I enjoy the idea of problem solving as well as finding unique ways to reach your goals.  I also enjoy and appreciate the graphic visuals they display as I have always been fascinated seeing how creative game designers can be.  I am a very visual person and I think it is amazing to see how some people can just imagine their own worlds with unique creatures and environments and have the ability to make those things come to life.  I have great appreciation for what they can do. 

The last thing that I think makes games fun is the ability to connect and compete with people in your surroundings as well as globally.  I believe games allow people to interact with a great variety of people which is very unique in our world today.  I really enjoy the idea of competing against your piers instead of just the game itself.

2.       Which of these things were present in the I <3 Bees ARG? If not present, what made I <3 Bees fun?
I think that I < Bees ARG was a very successful game.  It incorporated two major characteristics in which I believe make games fun.  The first was obviously the idea of creatively problem solving.  The whole point of this game was to get users to decode parts of the story and to solve the game which was basically a giant puzzle.  The game involved the interaction with other users which allowed the puzzle to be solved.  I think it was very unique in how it required users working together with other users to solve the puzzle and come up with the solution.  I also believe this game was very successful because it did not force the users to decode the game because of a known reward or goal.  It encouraged them to work together to find out the point and goal of the game without them actually knowing what they were getting. 

I have never seen another game that is like I < Bees ARG which is in part why I believe that the game is truly spectacular.  I wish that I would have had the chance to be part of it back when it was running right before the release of Halo 2.  I think that combination of problem solving and the required gamer information exchange is what helps make this game so unique and so interesting.