“The Last Ruler”Alternate Reality Game

The Challenge…

• Technologies, such as the Internet, are here to help us and make our lives much easier. And now there is free Internet available in public libraries!

• How can we get this message across to the population and acquaint people with the many opportunities the Internet provides?

• This was our big question when we began working with the project “Libraries for Innovation.”

WHY?• The project “Libraries for Innovation” is carried

out by the Martynas Mažvydas National Library of Lithuania.

• Its goal is to achieve, through strengthening and using the capacities of public libraries, considerably better use of the capacities of information technologies among the Lithuanian population.

• Thus, the country‘s public libraries are being modernized and equipped with free Internet access.

• Research showed that a significant part of the population still considered the Internet as a means of entertainment rather than a useful time and money saving tool.

WHAT?

• “The Last Ruler” – Alternate Reality Game (ARG).

The Strategy• THE AIM of “The Last Ruler” was to familiarize the population with the

libraries‘ expanding services and available free Internet. We sought to encourage the population to take more interest in, and use the various tools and resources that are available online to make our daily life more comfortable.

• The stated aim of the Campaign was to attract at least 200 active players.

As the client requested, the Campaign had to target the general public, yet focus on existing or potential users of public Internet access in libraries, thus assuming the target audience was already familiar with both computers, and the Internet.

• As THE SOLUTION, we proposed an unconventional form of Internet-based interactive game or Alternate Reality Game.

ARG• EntertainmentARG’s are mostly Internet-based games, yet

they can comprise various media and real world, offline events.

• ChallengeARGs usually revolve around some mysterious

story that players try to unearth by looking for on and offline clues, communicating with one another or the organizers in some way, and solving diverse puzzles.

• CommunicationARGs are an effective means of conveying

information as they intrigue and incite the audience to seek information itself, as opposed to pouring the information on them.

HOW?

• Plot

• Blog & social media

• Tasks & puzzles

• Online & offline

Campaign execution in detail…

• Players had to follow the storyline of the game by reading a blog written in real-time by the main character. He was invented and played by us, the game creators. This character was a young student named Henrikas.

• In his blog, Henrikas wrote about a beautiful girl he met in one of Lithuania’s public libraries. Yet she had mysteriously disappeared. The young man begins to look for her, but his quest soon immersed him in bizarre and arcane events, associated with certain occurrences in Lithuania’s history.

Campaign execution in detail…

• To initially reach the audience and attract players, we applied several means of web based and offline communication: banners, press releases, and announcements in public libraries.

• However, social networking soon became our main communication tool as the players themselves began sharing information about the game with one another.

PLOT? PUZZLES?• For 3 months, players helped him

complete his quest by solving intriguing and mystifying tasks and puzzles that we regularly posted on the Campaign website, following Henrikas by reading his blog, communicating with him via the social networks Facebook and Twitter.

Campaign execution in detail…• In order to be able to help Henrikas, players had to expand their

knowledge of computers and the Internet, and become acquainted with a range of useful online tools, websites and databases, as well as physically visit public libraries and attend real-world events.

• The thin line separating reality and fiction was thus erased, creating the impression of an “alternate” reality.

• An intriguing story and unconventional approach to communication motivated the participants to take interest not only in the game itself, but also in the project “Libraries for Innovation,” public libraries and their expanding services.

RESULTS?In 3 months:

~ 100.000 unique visitors

~ 3.000 participants

~ 30 tools and websites

Live contests in 8 public libraries

“LOGIN 2009” nomination

Greatly increased awareness

RESULTS in detail• The Campaign website attracted almost 100 000 unique

visitors.

• Over 3 000 people took part in the game, whereas the aim initially stated by the Client was at least 200 active players.

• In order to accomplish the various tasks and solve the puzzles they were challenged with, players had become acquainted with around 30 online tools and websites, from sharing photos on social networks, to the digital information environment of Lithuania‘s cultural heritage, online library catalogue, and online registration for an appointment at a health-care institution, to mention just a few.

RESULTS in detail• Eight public libraries organized a contest, inviting visitors to

compete in teams, collectively solving some of “The Last Ruler’s” puzzles.

Players personally saw and experienced that today Lithuanian libraries have much more to offer than just books: they are more modern, active, and are becoming more and more important community centres.

Thus, we contributed to both raising awareness of free public Internet, and generally improving libraries’ image.

RESULTS in detail• Along with other promotional campaigns we carried out,

“The Last Ruler” raised awareness of the project “Libraries for Innovation”. In 2009, 65% of Internet users in public libraries were aware of the Project, which was almost twice as much as in 2008.

• “The Last Ruler” was nominated for the best electronic project of the year in the blogging and Internet trends conference “LOGIN 2009.”

• To this day some players claim to have met Henrikas in a pub or library, or even seen him in the company of Elvis Presley…

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