8 Movies That Blurred The Line Between Our World And Theirs

A.I. Artificial Intelligence started as a Stanley Kubrick movie before his passing saw Steven Spielberg take on the mantle. What resulted was a fondly-remembered sci-fi epic that told the tale of a 22nd century Pinocchio. What seems to be less remembered, however, is the Alternate Reality Game that preceded it.

Known as 'The Beast', the game kicked off when people started to notice the name Jeanine Salla on promotional materials such as posters and trailers. Credited as a 'sentient machine therapist', those whose eyebrows were raised quickly found themselves in the middle of a fictional future presented through fabricated websites and recorded phone messages.

The crux of the game saw players trying to uncover the truth behind the death of a man named Evan Chan. This was done through players around the world collaborating with one another on community boards to solve hidden puzzles found on the sites, eventually going on to attend staged 'Anti-Robot Militia' rallies. While these ideas may not sound revolutionary in 2022, ARGs were still in their infancy in 2001 and this marked the first time one had ever been used to promote a movie.