Thin Liminal Lines
“Reality is often less interesting than fiction.” “I would not have said this 20 years ago, but I’m going to say this now: make sure there is a very clear … Continue reading Thin Liminal Lines
Category: Academia
When dark tourism goes para-terrestrial: Online legend-tripping and touring the void
Sophie James *, James Cronin A B S T R A C TUsing ˇZiˇzek’s concept of ontological incompleteness, we theorise the touristic appeal of onlinelegend-tripping as derived from the fantasy … Continue reading When dark tourism goes para-terrestrial: Online legend-tripping and touring the void
![Entertainment that invades everyday life: The birth and evolution of ARGs [Until ARGs became widespread in Japan]](https://josephmatheny.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/rectangle_large_type_2_57d1ca2b4b652b7b2d77aa04979018b3.webp?w=444&h=444&crop=1)
日常浸食型エンターテイメント：ARGの誕生と変遷【国内にARGが浸透するまで】
■Incunabula: Ong’s Hat “Ong’s Hat” is considered one of the oldest urban legends originating on the internet, and is akin to a creepypasta or SCP. Ong’s Hat is a real … Continue reading 日常浸食型エンターテイメント：ARGの誕生と変遷【国内にARGが浸透するまで】
THE COMMERCIAL VIABILITY OF ALTERNATE REALITY GAMES: A PROPOSED FRAMEWORK FOR PROFITABILITY AND SCALABILITY
From: THE COMMERCIAL VIABILITY OF ALTERNATE REALITY GAMES:A PROPOSED FRAMEWORK FOR PROFITABILITY AND SCALABILITY LINK: https://s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/pstorage-ryerson-5010877717/28138491/Robertson_LeeStahr_G.pdf
Nancy Guthrie and the gamification of crime
Joseph Matheny learned the hard way what happens when this kind of thing works too well. His Ong’s Hat project, which started in the late 1980s as a collaborative fiction … Continue reading Nancy Guthrie and the gamification of crime
AWGIE
AUDIO – NON-FICTIONThis Is Not A Game: Season 1, ‘Portal to Utopia’ and ‘Joseph Matheny’ – Marc Fennell with Emma Weatherill Alex Lee and Suren Jayemanne hosted the awards, held … Continue reading AWGIE
The Unseen Internet
The Unseen Internet Conjuring the Occult in Digital Discourse by Shira Chess In 2003, I had this idea that a book should be written chronicling the influence that psychedelic drugs … Continue reading The Unseen Internet
in the footsteps of giants
@jeffreykoval has written a very flattering piece that covers my virtual appearance at the LHFF, which I very much enjoyed, so it’s satisfying to know the attendees got a lot … Continue reading in the footsteps of giants
Keeping up to date
If you subscribe to this site via email or something like WP Reader, I wanted to let you know that I only update it with major announcements. Those would be … Continue reading Keeping up to date
A bibliographic archeology of game-like conspiracy narratives: examining the Ong’s Hat Incunabula catalog
James A. Hodges (School of Information, San Jose State University, San Jose, California, USA) Journal of Documentation ISSN: 0022-0418 Article publication date: 21 April 2025 Abstract Purpose This paper aims to reframe contemporary research on … Continue reading A bibliographic archeology of game-like conspiracy narratives: examining the Ong’s Hat Incunabula catalog
Getting out of the way with Joseph Matheny
The Cosmic Salon This is such an incredible conversation with a truly lovely soul and fellow journeyman — Joseph is behind many things in this reality that folks may not … Continue reading Getting out of the way with Joseph Matheny
RADICAL: THE HYPERGAME OF ANARCHIST FAIRIES
The insurrection of which you are the hero We will see later how this central idea of radical mutual aid is embodied. In the meantime, what form does Hypergaming actually … Continue reading RADICAL: THE HYPERGAME OF ANARCHIST FAIRIES
Ong’s Hat creator Joseph Matheny on the blurred lines between fiction and reality
Sat down and had a discussion with Greg, one of the curators of one of my favorite OG websites, The Daily Grail. LINK: https://www.dailygrail.com/2023/12/ongs-hat-creator-joseph-matheny-on-the-blurred-lines-between-fiction-and-reality/ Ong’s Hat. For those who were … Continue reading Ong’s Hat creator Joseph Matheny on the blurred lines between fiction and reality
CAN HYPER-SINCERITY SAVE US?
RECENTLY, INTERNET CREATIVES ARE TRANSFORMING THEIR VULNERABILITIES INTO STRENGTH, BREAKING DOWN ALL BARRIERS OF HUMAN RESPECT. IS THE FEAR OF RIDICULE EXPERIENCING ITS FINAL HOURS? SOURCE: https://www.archyde.com/can-hyper-sincerity-save-us/ Photo caption: BEWARE … Continue reading CAN HYPER-SINCERITY SAVE US?
Technikart 273 Digital Version
I recently sat down via Zoom with Jean-Baptiste Chiara of the French Art magazine, Technikart . Here is a link to the issue that has our conversation within. Description of … Continue reading Technikart 273 Digital Version
Hortus Semioticus 9/2022 – 07 – Ong’s Hat
ONG’S HAT and the construction of a suspicious model readerJorge Flores [PDF] Abstract. In the late 1980s, an art collective led by writer Joseph Matheny created a multimedia narrative eventually … Continue reading Hortus Semioticus 9/2022 – 07 – Ong’s Hat
Penny Royal:Season Two, Episode Eleven: Road To Nowhere
Where are these roads leading us? Are they leading us to answers to the Penny Royal mystery? More circles, cycles, and loops. The manifestation of the ouroboros, and the realization … Continue reading Penny Royal:Season Two, Episode Eleven: Road To Nowhere
Conversations with Diane Di Prima
This book includes a chapter that is comprised of an interview I did with my late, great, friend Diane DiPrima. I miss you, my friend. “Diane di Prima (1934-2020) was … Continue reading Conversations with Diane Di Prima
Taxonomizing Conspiratorial Information Practices: Examining the Ong’s Hat Legend
Taxonomizing Conspiratorial Information Practices: Examining the Ong’s Hat LegendAuthorsJames A. Hodges, The University of Texas at AustinFollow Publication Date10-8-2021 Document TypePresentation Publication TitleSociety for Social Studies of Science 2021 Annual … Continue reading Taxonomizing Conspiratorial Information Practices: Examining the Ong’s Hat Legend
Augmented Reality Games, Interactive Narrative and the Documentary TV Series Hellier
Preview of presentation to be given by David Sweeney (@dktrdm Twitter), The Glasgow School of Art Fri, August 6, 2021 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM PDT https://interactivefilm.blogspot.com/2021/07/augmented-reality-games-interactive.html Interactive Film and … Continue reading Augmented Reality Games, Interactive Narrative and the Documentary TV Series Hellier
Ong’s Hat: Is Princeton Opposed to Satire? The Ballad of “Jojo” Jayaditya Deep
Poe’s law is an adage of Internet culture stating that, without a clear indicator of the author’s intent, every parody of extreme views can be mistaken by some readers for … Continue reading Ong’s Hat: Is Princeton Opposed to Satire? The Ballad of “Jojo” Jayaditya Deep
This Is Not a Game
Conspiracy theorizing as alternate-reality game “Many quotes from a long and enjoyable conversation I had with the author made it into this article. I hope you find it as enlightening … Continue reading This Is Not a Game
Why Conspiracy Theories Have Become the Most Influential Art Form of Our Time
One of the earliest internet-era conspiracy theories, “Ong’s Hat” (look it up) also began as an online art project by Joseph Matheny. It took on an eerie life of its … Continue reading Why Conspiracy Theories Have Become the Most Influential Art Form of Our Time
Alternate Reality Games | Ong’s Hat | Know Your Meme
Precursor: Ong’s Hat In the 1980s transmedia artist Joseph Matheny[2] launched the Ong’s Hat game, inspired by play-by-mail multiplayer games run by Flying Buffalo.[3] Though Ong’s Hat may not have … Continue reading Alternate Reality Games | Ong’s Hat | Know Your Meme
The Surprising Online Life of Legends – Legend-Tripping Online: Supernatural Folklore and the Search for Ong’s Hat
A very interesting article/review of Legend-Tripping Online: Supernatural Folklore and the Search for Ong’s Hat. From The Chronicle of Higher Education: Now, from the you-can-learn-something-new-every-day files, comes Michael Kinsella’s Legend-Tripping … Continue reading The Surprising Online Life of Legends – Legend-Tripping Online: Supernatural Folklore and the Search for Ong’s Hat
A conspiracy thread: Brave New World Order
Because I’m posting this on Halloween, I thought I‘d try to stick to the theme of trickery. However, I’m not going to be talking about deceptive demons or satanic rituals. … Continue reading A conspiracy thread: Brave New World Order
Joseph Matheny 