Amazing post on how the lessons many of us learned designing and running ARGs can help formulate a response to the dangerous death cult of Qanon.

So much of what we worked so hard to AVOID in I love bees, year zero, whysoserious and other campaigns is weaponized in Q. https://twitter.com/adrianhon/status/1289889167548153856

If you provide no boundaries, no limits, and no rules to a hive mind motivated to “solve” a “puzzle” you ALWAYS get destructive behavior. Q is dangerous because it purposefully pulls in highly emotional content (ie everyone is a pedophile) and marinates it in violent imagery.

This sets up the terrifying reality you see now. Hundreds of thousands of people searching out meaning in noise, following preposterous threads like Wayfair, harassing celebrities, etc.

All of this because “Q” is a malignant puppetmaster. HE KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING.

The scariest possibility that I’m becoming more convinced will happen is a big “reveal” come October where Flynn either comes out as Q or claims to be directing him. Some significant percentage of Q followers will be willing to do almost anything.

Months or years of living in an “alternate reality” with no boundary against “real reality” will leave many people, especially those that were unstable to begin with, as effectively suicide bombers, willing to do anything for the “cause.”

Watch Flynn, watch for rumblings of “The Storm” coming. These are equivalent to the final phase of every ARG where fame and rewards are shared and the narrative concludes. Except the narrative here is insane, and the players are brainwashed IN REAL LIFE.

Those of us who understand these dynamics have a responsibility to speak up as Adrian has here. The techniques many of us pioneered are being used malignantly. I will be thinking about ways to respond to this threat. I hope y’all will too.
Cc: @elanlee @SStewartWriter @vpisteve