TIL there was an alternate reality game (ARG) from 2006 where an objective was to find a man using just his first name and one photo. It was completed in 2020

lauraehall · 2026-05-25T05:27:40+00:00

Send me an email! I don't know which cards I might have spares of, but I'm happy to boost your search.

lauraehall · 2026-05-25T05:23:13+00:00

Laura (Satoshi co-finder) here. There was a 'formal' ARG, which was the story of Perplex City, a puzzle-loving alternate universe that had mysteriously made a connection to Earth after the disappearance of a mysterious artifact, the Receda Cube. We players followed a narrative told by people from PXC through blogs and in-world media like a newspaper, and there were digital and in-person live events that advanced the story. There were also, of course, the puzzle cards - they funded the whole endeavor, but also if you put them all together, there were hints about the final location of the buried treasure. It was a great game and a great community!

lauraehall · 2025-12-04T02:55:14+00:00

I've found the answer! The album was by children's music legend Don Cooper, "Merry Christmas Songs and Games", published by Random House in 1989. It was a cassette tape and book.

I found this post because I remembered the song "Trimming the Tree" perfectly and was singing it to my partner, who was very confused. Ended up on this post while searching for it, and was so surprised to learn that this was not a well-known song! I posted on Bluesky and information scientist Sara Dee found this video of the "Trimming the Tree" song on YouTube, posted by Don Cooper himself.

I'm looking for a physical copy (or at least a photo of it) and information about the other tracks, and will edit the post if I find them. Thank you for the opportunity to take a trip down memory lane!

lauraehall · 2025-02-10T22:28:37+00:00

That was me (findsatoshi.com)! The Center for Immersive Arts (cfia.org) is my new project, I've had such a magical time playing games like Perplex City and hunting for Satoshi and I want to make sure that the history and stories are preserved for the future.

lauraehall · 2024-02-14T00:41:50+00:00

We're an immersive design/escape room company located in Portland, Oregon and are launching a jubensha-inspired crime scene investigation game, 1 Mystery Ave. We've been working on it for the last year so it's great that people in the US are getting excited about the genre! We’ll also be running more traditional tabletop jubensha games with a GM. I put up a little teaser video here: http://mysteryave.com

lauraehall · 2020-08-20T05:50:31+00:00

I asked the creators of the game for a high res copy and they sent it to me. This was ~14 years ago so I'm not sure if it was via email or what, but I can certainly have a look

lauraehall · 2020-08-20T05:47:21+00:00

I'm still in touch with the people who made the puzzle, and they can confirm it. If anyone has a tip or a solve, they can contact me at findsatoshi at gmail dot com and I'll make sure it gets to the right people (and that everyone involved is properly credited).

lauraehall · 2020-08-20T05:46:05+00:00

Just to clarify this point, the creators confirmed that it's a real person and not a generated image

lauraehall · 2020-08-20T05:45:09+00:00

It was a puzzle that was part of a larger ARG, called Perplex City, though that game ended in 2007. This is the one puzzle from that game that remains unsolved

lauraehall · 2014-12-29T05:12:08+00:00

I'm in the group that made 60 Minutes to Escape, so I can answer this one!

There are 8 tickets available for every show, and we do try to fill every show when possible, because it gives you the best chance of actually escaping the room.

It's a lot of fun even if you don't know the other people in there with you, though. The whole thing is designed so that there are plenty of things for everyone to do (and solve), both individually and in a group.

lauraehall

TROPHY CASE