Politics
Creator of First ARG Describes QAnon as Weaponized Version of His Work
The Why Files
The Basement: Joseph Matheny | The Man Who Hacked Reality Before the Internet Existed
"When Q appeared, I said, whoever is doing this, like, watch the ARG construct evolve and is now doing a weaponized version of the ARG construct. This is an ARG. Or at the very least it's a weaponized ARG."
Joseph Matheny, who built Ong's Hat—the internet's first alternate reality game—publicly identified QAnon in its early stages as a weaponized ARG using his pioneered mechanics including hidden authorship, fragmented reveals, and 'do your own research' imperatives. Researchers at Concordia University later validated this framework. Matheny expressed regret about speaking out as critics blamed ARGs themselves rather than their weaponization.
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The Why Files