Introduction 

If you use social networks, then you’ve all played an Alternate reality game (ARG)! The ARG or Integrated Reality Video Game (IRG) is an online 2.0 game in which fiction and reality exist side by side. The real world is used as a platform and transmedia narration is used to convey a story that changes according to the actions or ideas of the players. This is possible through several channels (text messages, e-mails, riddles, websites, anonymous calls, treasure hunts in the city, etc.). 

Where do JRIs come from?

JRIs were inspired by the role-playing video games of the pre-1990s. Since then, the concept has evolved to suit today’s digital world. Today, we live in two worlds simultaneously, as the game is played both online and in real life. The action takes place in the real world, even if the story remains fictional.

Fabulous tools!

What they don’t tell us about integrated reality games is their fabulous added value for cognitive development. Indeed, IRGs stimulate thought and increase creativity. Better still, they educate. Surprising as it may seem, these games are lab schools in which players learn fascinating things. 

For example, the collaboration between developers and historians allows players to learn about historical monuments when they are used as backdrops for game landscapes. The educational potential of JRIs has even been successfully demonstrated at the University of Leicester in a historical science course, where a JRI was designed to raise students’ interest in the subject. Alternatively, the puzzles proposed in this type of game are a kind of logic and reasoning exercise that facilitate the exploration of our n*2 thinking system. This is because we perceive the phenomena as a whole and realise that each player is an integral part of the game system. From then on, the players maintain a metabolism in which they have a shared vision, a common goal and work together to achieve it. This playful experimentation with interactivity develops curiosity and generates excitement, wonder and satisfaction among players in total immersion. JRIs are therefore a way of getting rid of psychopathological disorders, particularly mood disorders. They are positive factors in the development of mental health for both people with disorders and those who are healthy. 

JRIs are also powerful marketing and advertising tools. These days, they’re used a lot to reach bigger targets. If you’re a GEN-Z or even a Millennial, you certainly haven’t missed the JRI of the moment: “GAG-CITY”, a fictional universe imagined by an American rapper to promote her latest album. All her fans were invited to move and bring their loved ones with them to live in harmony, away from the haters. Everyone was considered to be close to the artist.

Behind the scenes… 

With the JRIs, the players maintain the addiction. The more you play, the more addicted you become to the emotions they generate. And the more you play, the more time you lose from your commitments. The more you insist, the more your productivity decreases. Worse still, with JRIs, our value system takes a hit. In reality, players are in a cognitive dissonance that erases their relationship with life. They are completely detached from the real world. They remain connected to it without really being connected to it, because in fact these games exacerbate their individualism. They tell themselves that they don’t need to see people to play with them and share good times, even though human contact is fundamentally better than our relationship with the machine, no matter how good it makes us feel.  Finally, JRIs can be dumbed down. It sounds paradoxical, but they can be very dangerous because they can encourage brainwashing towards dubious and unsavoury practices.

Conclusion 

JRIs are innovations that offer stimulating prospects. In many ways, they contribute to our well-being. All the same, we need to be careful how we use them.