Joseph Wayne Matheny (born December 24, 1961, in Chicago, Illinois) is an American writer and transmedia artist who has created works using alternate reality gaming and transmedia storytelling methods. He holds patents for prediction, recommendation and behavioral analysis algorithms and software design. He is a published author of screenplays, white papers, technology, sci-fi, marketing and gaming books. He currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. He is probably best known for the avant-garde work, Ong's Hat, which has been called the proto-Alternate Reality Game by academia, the mainstream and alternative media. Ong's Hat is often cited as the first ARG on many List of alternate reality games.
Books
- Ong's Hat the Beginning, Skybooks, 2002. ISBN 0-9678162-2-X
- Game over?, Immersion New Media, 2002. ISBN 0-9674890-0-8
- Why DVD? A Meat and Potatoes Guide for the Uninitiated, Metalepsis, 1999. ISBN 0-9674890-0-8
- The Incunabula Papers: Ong's Hat and Other Gateways to New Dimensions, eXe, 1999. ISBN 0-9674890-1-6
Contributions to other books and publications
- "Beats In Time: A Literary Generation's Legacy": Contributor
- Rebels and Devils: The Psychology of Liberation: Contributor
- Black Book Omega: Cirque Apoklypsis: Contributor
- YouTube: An Insider’s Guide to Climbing the Charts: Contributor
- Black Book Volume 3, Part I: The Black Symphony, First Movement: Contributor
- Black Book Volume 3, Part II: The Black Symphony, Second Movement: Contributor
- What Would Bill Hicks Say: Forward- Contributor
- Exquisite Language: Contributor
- Poker Without Cards: Contributor-Forward, Afterward and Editor
- This Is Not A Game: A Guide to Alternate Reality Gaming: Contributor and Editor
- Covert Culture Sourcebook: Contributor
- The Millennium Whole Earth Catalog: Contributor
Discography
- Robert Anton Wilson Remembered (2011) Hukilau
- Robert Anton Wilson: The Lost Studio Sessions (2010) Original Falcon
- TAZ- The Temporary Autonomous Zone (2010) Original Falcon
- The Banishing Ritual with Illusion of Safety (1991)