Dave Szulborski is apparently a big player in ARGs, his website clearly sends the message that he is not a designer by trade.

Of note is his “guide to ARGs” and example game. His game Errant Memories (warning music plays at link) doesn’t seem so much an ARG as it does a series of puzzles. I get no impression that I’m interacting with a real character. Fortunately, he provides a walkthrough, so I just read that instead.

For the game Catching the Wish they provided weekly updates that are long, boring, and intimadating summaries of what has happened. You can check them out here and clicking on the windows on the building. Imagine being a new player and having to read even a couple of these.

If ARG elements are going to be interesting to the masses, this exactly what needs to be avoided during game development.