Hidden Meanings (Haunted Videogames, ARGs, & Folk Groups)

Hidden Meanings You never know what you might discover if you just #KeepYourEyesOpen. Perry and Mason venture into their local pawn shop where they meet the mysterious proprietor, Todd, as well as a handful of very interesting people who happen to all be connected... In this episode: An opening story about a gamer who discovers their deceased father's ghost car and gets to race him again A retelling of Ben Drowned, one of the most iconic creepypastas about a haunted copy of the classic N64 videogame Zelda: Majora's Mask. An exploration of what constitutes a 'folk group' and how folklore can emerge from pop culture fandoms and other established media. A discussion with the developer of an ARG (Alternate Reality Game) where various cryptic clues are spread across the entire internet. An interview with one of the key members of the community who solved that ARG, discussing how that community came together. Mason purchases a bicycle... Guests: Dr. Sara Cleto and Dr. Brittany Warman from the Carterhaugh School of Folklore & the Fantastic Niles Sankey, creator of the Asemblance videogame series, and owner of Nilo Studios. Matthew Bliss, host of The Dead Drop podcast - a twice-weekly 10 minute video game news podcast. Featuring voice acting from: Brooke Jennett of THIRTEEN narrated the opening story. Rich Daigle (aka Mouth Almighty) voices Todd the pawn shop owner. 🗣 Join our Discord community 💁‍♀️ Support us on Patreon 🕸 Sign-up for our newsletter, check our our merch, and learn more about the show at digitalfolklore.fm. 📚 Check our book list for some great folklore-related books Find us on the socials: Twitter: @digiFolklorePod Facebook: DigitalFolklorePod Instagram: DigitalFolklorePod TikTok: digitalfolklore Keep Your Eyes Open Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices