COOL STUFF

Check This Out: Viral Game Launched for Shane Acker's 9

by Alex Billington
June 17, 2009
Source: Facebook

If you're a fan of viral marketing or ARGs, you'll definitely want to check this out. You've probably heard about Shane Acker's 9, but if not, watch the latest trailer. It's an animated movie about rag doll characters that take on "evil machines." It's set in the distant future and looks like one of the most visually unique movies this year. As part of their marketing, Focus Features has launched a viral site at 9experiment.com as a way of introducing a bigger part of the backstory. We've seen a lot of lackluster virals recently, but this looks like it could be pretty cool and should at least keep fans active until it comes out in September.

This website actually comes from Facebook, where there's a page for the scientist who eventually creates the rag doll characters. Basically, this viral is filling in the entire backstory behind why the world is the way it is and how these characters are created. His page points to 9experiment.com and says that it's his laboratory. On the website you'll see a desk with various documents, a chalkboard, and other machines and scientific tools. You can even click on the machine with the big magnifying glass to see a video of Elijah Wood talking briefly about this website. Click on any of the symbols underneath to hear more about the story.

From here, I'm not exactly sure what to do. You can find details about the scientist's "inventions" but some pieces of the puzzle won't be revealed until later date. It looks the like the story will unfold over time. The book on his desk seems to have a lot of information in it and the chalkboard as seems like an integral part of the game, but beyond that, I'm not sure. I hope a few of you spend some time exploring site - be sure to let us know if you uncover anything. I'm really digging this so far, I just hope it leads to something bigger. The background music, which I hope is part of Deborah Lurie's score for 9, is also wonderful. Check it out!

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Explore tags: Cool Stuff, Hype, Viral News