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[Tilla]

I was just watching Spoony's Ripper videos (as cheesy as the game itself was) and can't help but think a game that involves a realistic version of the internet as a major part of the mystery. Google searches, facebook, tweets, and all that. This would of course include building a great deal of webpages into the eventual game, but I think it could be pretty cool done effectively. Does something like this exist? Heck, it could even include FMVs put together as faux youtube vids, and think of the eastereggs and minigames you could fit in :3

[Jack_Bread]

This is sorta relevent, but it's not totally like you said as most of it is played via a toolbar.


EDIT: BLAH. I don't know. <_<

[Bricks]

Instead of a "realistic version of the internet," why not simply use the internet?  You could make a special web browser and have game-related redirects and special pages.  That way, real mystery hunters would have to wade through all that "user-created content" to solve the puzzle.  Obviously you might want to cut down on the features of the browser, and add other features like a notepad or an achievement/task panel.

[Outcast Orange]

There ARE tons of games like this, which are on the real internet.

Just google search for it.

Here's one I'm stuck on:
http://www.ouverture-facile.com/start/index.html

The entire website, like all 200 pages of it, is one big puzzle.
Also, a skilled google searcher could hack the answers,
but I don't recommend it, since it defeats the purpose,
 and the creators have no way around it.

[Tilla]

I don't mean games built around web pages, and ARGs and all that. I mean as a greater whole, as part of a traditional adventure game sort. Hunt for clues in the real world and cyberspace, etc.

[JoshuaFH]

Sort of like in the playstation 2 game, the Matrix. You see, there was the main game, but there was also this section of the game where you had to hack the matrix. You have to decipher all these codes and get into databases, all with a Qwerty keyboard plastered onto the screen, and you had to hit each key individually using the controller.

It was a slow and painful process, and I have no idea why I did it. All it did was give me some pickups that ordinarily wouldn't exist in the main game.

[Bricks]

Oh MAN, I forgot about that.  I loved that part.

[Outcast Orange]

Okay, that has been done too,
 but is generally regarded as a failure.

They will put something in a game where you need to know something
 specific about certain subject, and make the vague suggestion that
 "The internet could really help me with this."
Often these games will have some sort of built in web browser,
 or straight up link you to your default browser and home page.

When you see this in a game, make sure to stop playing at this point,
 because it always goes downhill really fast
 once they expect this sort of thing from the player.

Some games used to host something out in the real web,
 and you would have to find it, or use a web address found hidden in game,
 but these games are generally unsuccessful,
 so the link or page only works for the first year or two after release.

[Tilla]

I think it has been done but generally very poorly. I don't think the idea itself is broken, just that there are so rarely games with good backstory and even rarer to be an adventure game set in modern times.

[DennyTom]

There ARE tons of games like this, which are on the real internet.

Just google search for it.

Here's one I'm stuck on:
http://www.ouverture-facile.com/start/index.html

The entire website, like all 200 pages of it, is one big puzzle.
Also, a skilled google searcher could hack the answers,
but I don't recommend it, since it defeats the purpose,
 and the creators have no way around it.

Man, I love those, my favourite is Notpron. SO many wasted days on this ... so many.


Back at the topic. As already said, it has been done and was done poorly. But the idea itself is pretty good. Be very careful when planning this. Like some others, I would also suggest custom browser or browser plugin, because you will not have to care about creating realistic illusion of living web. Some little user scripts, fake email adresses and a few agents on social network sites and forums will do the job much easily and will be cheaper. Also it will be easier to mantain and update in case of takedown of some of pages used.