More than Reality

I am drawn to alternate reality games like a moth to the flame. There is something special about groups of individuals interacting in ways that seemingly make no sense in the context of the immediate environment. I actually made my own ARG based on Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere but never did anything with it. Anyway, here are some people that actually follow through with their ideas.
One of the more newsworthy games was the whole I Love Bees thing for Halo 2, which would have been more realistic if they hadn't registered the Dot Com name. No bee blogger is going to actually purchase a domain, she'd just use some free service.
So now the team behind I Love Bees is promoting EDOC Apparel, which sells designer t-shirts with messages hidden in them. I wonder if obsessive fans will begin purchasing opposite gender garments just to solve more puzzles?
There is also Perplex City, a game ran by Mind Candy (as opposed to being ran on mind candy which would have a whole different meaning). I like the scope of this game, except for the purchasing of cartoony cards. The best ARGs blend seamlessly into society. If the cards looked like discarded candy wrappers, post-it notes, and old newspapers I would definitely join in.

It looks like this odd mix and mash sub-genre is having a growth spurt. There are mystery books that lead you to real world prizes, mobile phone based games where people randomly call you up with clues, and a myriad of equally strange and enjoyable pass times. I'm just waiting for the government to raid some gaming group under the belief that they've discovered a terrorist cell.