Pervasive game designer and researcher Jane McGonigal, has put a call out for a puppet-master (an alternate reality game designer) to work on a project. Here is her call:
Help me find the next great puppet masters!
I’ve caught wind of an amazing opportunity for someone who is bilingual and who would like to get hands-on experience as an alternate reality game puppet master.
This paid, part-time position is for a “jr. puppet master” and “community leader” on a very big, professionally produced alternate reality game. The work is entirely online and can be done on a flexible schedule from anywhere in the world.
This kind of position is just about the best way to break into ARGs there is.
Being a jr. puppet master comes with a lot of creative responsibility, including writing and online performance. It also invovles the amazingly fun challenge of interacting with players via email (and sometimes in real life!) and overseeing forums and blogs for a large online player community. Also, this particular position would also entail lots and lots of close mentoring from a very experienced ARG designer.
The only catch: the puppet master must be either a native speaker of (or near-native fluent in) Japanese or Mandarin Chinese, with English as their second (or first) language.
It’s also possible that the position could be modified for native speakers of other languages (parlez vous francais? Você fala português?) so if you or someone you know might be a terrific bilingual jr. puppet master, go ahead and email me.
Sadly, I know that the bilingual requirement won’t apply to most of the up-and-coming puppet masters out there. But… if this describes you or anyone you know, I think this would be a really cool project and a great chance to make a name for yourself in the ARG world.
So drop me a line or send potential candidates my way! I have a more detailed job description to pass along and can make all the introductions necessary.
(Email me at [my first name] @ [the name of this blog] .com)
I really, wholeheartedly recommend this opportunity — so if you are game, let me know!