my friend mary, aka surfergurl, aka the gidge, the
one who wrote the attached article was talking about
this game this weekend. loves it. really fun, she
says.
not really my bag, but thought you might enjoy it.

so what else is going on in belzworld these days -
have not heard from you in a while.
i've been at the beach, to san francisco, back to
beach. and in andyworld inbetween. gots to make a
living. andy treats me pretty good.
how's the drive in? gigs?
inquiring minds...etc, etc.
ok. later. - g.

--- TheGidge@... wrote:
> From: TheGidge@...
> Date: Fri, 24 Aug 2001 12:32:36 EDT
> Subject: surfer gURL on Majestic
> To: maryh@...
>
> majestic is kewl. and so is this crazy link.
>
> http://www.y2khai.com/videos.htm
>
> GAME WILL ROCK YOU, STALK YOU
> By MARY HUHN
>
> August 24, 2001 -- THE phone rings. It's after
> midnight. You awaken,
> panicked, thinking it's a call from a friend in
> need.
> Instead, it's a biophysics professor from the
> University of Chicago calling
> to discuss a certain disturbing photograph. He ends
> the call by saying, "I
> want nothing to more to do with what you're involved
> with. Don't mention my
> name."
>
> Is this a prank? No. It's Majestic, a new
> Internet-based computer game from
> Electronic Arts of Los Angeles that stalks players
> with faxes, instant
> messages, e-mail, voice mail and telephone calls
> with messages to help solve
> a puzzle.
>
> This interactive "X-Files" type thriller lets
> players search for clues to
> help uncover a conspiracy.
>
> It moves beyond the limits of the PC, invading your
> life even when you're not
> in front of the computer.
>
> Players - who must be 18 - get e-mail from "Mike,"
> faxes from "Kyle" and
> phone calls from "Professor Howard Deakins," and
> they all leave clues, at all
> hours. (They're told to warn family members that can
> get calls at 2 a.m.)
>
> Majestic is the brain child of Electronic Arts vice
> president Neil Young, a
> 31-year-old Brit who wanted to create a
> entertainment vehicle for fans who
> don't have huge chunks of time to sit at the
> computer and create a game that
> stretched beyond "adolescent male fantasies,"
> typical of PC games.
>
> "I always wondered what it would be like to be at
> the center of a suspense
> thriller," says Young, who's more a fan of "The
> Silence of the Lambs," than
> "The X-Files."
>
> He also wanted to go beyond the Internet - to use
> all the forms of
> communication the Web touches. He built the
> technology so all levels of
> players could participate.
>
> One-way, taped phone calls add a real-life element
> to the game, but the
> instant messages, even though they're automated,
> "sound" more natural.
>
> They're timed well, too. A character might e-mail a
> congratulatory note as
> soon as a puzzle is solved, which is kind of eerie -
> knowing "they" are
> watching. The technology is admirable.
>
> The blur between fiction and reality happens over
> and over. In one quest for
> clues, users might inadvertently call a non-fiction
> company, thinking it's
> part of the game.
>
> Next fall, Young hopes to incorporate a TV program
> into the mix. He imagines
> a character on a "Majestic" show picking up a
> telephone and having phones
> ring all over the country.
>
> After the first free episode, Majestic costs $9.99 a
> month. There are nine
> episodes and you can play as little as 30 minutes
> day, solving puzzles to
> advance the story line.
>
> But that 30 minutes a day doesn't include late-night
> phone calls from
> strangers.
>
>
>
>
> Mary Huhn
> features, ny post
> 212-930-8566


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