This is Not a Game

In this paper, I will explore the theoretical educational use of alternate reality games (ARGs), a genre that relies less on computer interfaces and focuses more on “real world” spaces. Specifically, I will explore the use of ARGs as a course structure for student production of texts in the First Year Composition classroom. I will focus on two specific writing programs in which I have taught—a four-year university (UWMilwaukee) and a two-year technical college (Gateway Technical College)—and use constructivist learning principles for ARGs set forth by Whitton and Hollins (2008), composition theory, and transmedia theory.