The ARGFest Conference and Game Festival is (as we’ve said before) sort of like Comic-Con in its early years, only its focused on alternate reality games and transmedia. This year’s event is being held next week in Atlanta, and we now know who the keynote speaker will be, as well as the full schedule.
This year’s keynote will be given by Maureen McHugh, who has a storied history in ARGs. McHugh is currently a partner in the transmedia company No Mimes Media (one of the sponsors of the event), and she previously worked for 42 Entertainment, where she worked on the viral campaign for The Dark Knight, among other things. McHugh is also a science fiction writer, where she has received multiple awards and nominations, including the Hugo Award for her short story “The Lincoln Train”. Below is what the ARGFest website has to say about her.
Credits aside, Maureen has an incredible grasp how to write and deliver a story across mediums in a way that draws people in. She understands how to work with designers, producers, and technology in a way that brings a story to life for the audience without the technology or complexity becoming a barrier. It’s a tricky balancing act and one that few can do as well.
The full schedule for ARGFest was also released recently, so if you are planning to go, you definitely want to use it to plan your day. If you do go, be sure to check out “Beyond Blair Witch” with our friend Mike Monello, who talked to us a few months ago about his work on the viral for The Blair Witch Project.
To register for ARGFest, which goes from July 15-18, click here.