Multidisciplinary Artist | Liminal Fiction | Alternate Reality Games
Synthesizing research from Kendall Haven (DARPA’s Narrative Networks project), Carl Jung’s theory of synchronicity, Jeffrey Kripal’s concept of the Super Story, and Joseph Matheny’s transmedia ARG experiment (Ong’s Hat), Jose … Continue reading SUPERSTORY: La Virgen de Guadalupe en el Inframundo – Sacred Protection in High-Risk Worlds
I had fun doing this interview. As I said when I announced that I was doing this interview, after deciding at the beginning of this year I would no longer … Continue reading The Basement: Joseph Matheny | The Man Who Hacked Reality Before the Internet Existed
They’re just never gonna let this one go, are they? I guess that was kinda the point. 😜 (Hint: Some things are more fun if left a mystery) Queued up … Continue reading The Man From 2036: John Titor, the IBM 5100 and the Internet’s Greatest Unsolved Mystery
Chapter 7 of the ongoing series, Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT https://josephmatheny.substack.com/p/the-compleat-broadcasts-chapter-7
“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
Chapter 6 of the ongoing series, Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT LINK: https://josephmatheny.substack.com/p/the-compleat-broadcasts-chapter-6
Chapter 5 of the ongoing series, Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT https://josephmatheny.substack.com/p/the-compleat-broadcasts-chapter-5
Chapter 4 of the ongoing series, Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT This is a free podcast/post series of Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT For reviews regarding this work, go here.You may subscribe to this … Continue reading The COMPLEAT Broadcasts, Chapter 4
Chapter 3 of the ongoing series, Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT This is a free podcast/post series of Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT For reviews regarding this work, go here. You may subscribe to this series … Continue reading The COMPLEAT Broadcasts, Chapter 3
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
You know, it is gratifying when you point out a very obvious (to you) hanging thread, and someone takes the time to follow it and, most importantly, has the capacity … Continue reading Talking About Talking About Talking About UFOs
Chapter 2 of the ongoing series, Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT This is a free podcast/post series of Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT For reviews regarding this work, go here. You may subscribe to this series … Continue reading The COMPLEAT Broadcasts, Chapter 2
https://josephmatheny.substack.com/p/the-compleat-broadcasts-chapter-1 This is a free podcast/post series of Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT For reviews regarding this work, go here.
Received my ‘Mycellium Parish News 2025‘ in the mail. Great zine and I highly recommend. @rawilson23.bsky.social published a review on their site, so go check that out. Ong’s Hat: COMPLEAT … Continue reading ‘Mycellium Parish News 2025’
A new series and some assorted news It’s been on my mind to do this for a while. So, I’m just going to do it. This is the beginning of … Continue reading The COMPLEAT Broadcasts, Chapter 0
Explore Ong’s Hat, the real Pine Barrens ghost town behind the legendary 1980s–90s interdimensional cult myth and Joseph Matheny’s groundbreaking Incunabula/ARG that blurred fact and fiction, inspired The Blair Witch … Continue reading Ong’s Hat: The NJ Ghost Town That Invented Alternate Reality Games
Ong’s Hat© Patrick Tappe/Shutterstock.comTucked into the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, Ong’s Hat may be found on actual maps from the early days of the region. The small town finds … Continue reading 7 famous places that don’t actually exist
Among New Jersey’s most enigmatic vanished settlements, Ong’s Hat blurs the line between documented history and enduring folklore. You’ll find this Burlington County location first documented on a 1778 Hessian … Continue reading Ong’s Hat: Burlington County’s Enigmatic Lost Settlement
![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)
■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】
Ong’s Hat — Burlington County, Pine Barrens New Jersey’s most mysterious ghost town — little more than a wooded clearing deep in the Pinelands today. The most popular folk legend says … Continue reading My Dad took me on graveyard picnics in the Pine Barrens — and I’ve never gotten over it
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
While most ghost towns fade quietly into history, Ong’s Hat has carved out a peculiar legacy that blends verifiable abandonment with decades of digital-age mythology. Located deep in New Jersey’s Pine Barrens, this settlement vanished … Continue reading Ghost Towns Used As Movie Filming Locations In New Jersey: Ong’s Hat and Other Mysterious Abandoned Settlements
Ong’s Hat in New Jersey is a ghost town with strange legends, including disappearances and a supposed portal to another dimension. According to an urban legend (and a handful of … Continue reading Most People Have Long Forgotten About This Vacant Ghost Town In Rural New Jersey
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
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
FROM Why Locals Flock To Pine Barrens Towns In New Jersey To Explore Folklore And Legends Article By: Esme Whitman | January 13, 2026 Ong’s Hat is one of the most enigmatic locations … Continue reading Ong’s Hat: The Ghost Town That Became an Internet Legend
Joseph Matheny 