The world of the internet has opened the floodgates for conspiracy theories in our modern culture.

Prior to the establishment of a comparatively cheap way of distributing theories as well as forums to communicate them on, the systems in place of pamphlets, underground magazines and lectures were methods that marked you as an outsider, or a conspiracy theorist . The internet made it possible to communicate these ideas in the company of those who shared a similar sentiment, and made it possible to have moved from a socially inacceptable theorist to an almost academic analyst . However, the websites themselves differ not only in the content of the theories themselves, but also in the methods in which they impart them. Some are simply discussion boards; these forums allow all theories to be discussed, evaluated, and, in many regards, backed up through evidence. Others simply are dedicated to the exposing the activities of a group or business. Conspiracy theories themselves, however, are now made more socially acceptable, and with the high profile release of documentary style found footage movies, more commercially viable. The videogame universe of Resident Evil primarily focuses on the nefarious experiments of a major fictional pharmaceutical corporation, and the viral marketing campaign for the upcoming game Operation: Raccoon City uses an augmented reality ideal of fake documentation and artificial videos to perpetuate the exposition of Umbrella s activities. The concept of augmented reality is Augmented Reality (AR) is a variation of Virtual Environments (VE), or Virtual Reality as it is more commonly called. AR allows the user to see the real world, with virtual objects superimposed upon or composited with the real world. Therefore, AR supplements reality, rather than completely replacing it. The website www.insertedevil.com is linked from www.umbrellasciences.com, and takes its cue from recent anti-capitalism actions such as those of recent groups like AntiSec and Anonymous to use coding and to look like the website has been hacked. The link then takes you through the age gateway that is standard for any promotional material for an M-Rated video game, and develops a found footage style video to explain one man s quest to bring an end to the illegal activities of Umbrella. Filmed in a steady-cam style, it features the torso of a man so as not to reveal his identity discussing how he is trying to bring the corporation down, and acts in a way that makes it seem like he feels genuinely at risk. The use of what appears to be a made website also adds to this, and the clues he asks you to search out link to websites and email accounts created for the promo. The use of documentation from Raccoon City, as well as the email server for the police department adds a level of depth to the conspiracy. The websites it links to, in order to develop the clues, showcase businesses and even a school from the fictitious Raccoon City , and each piece adds further evidence to the conspiracy behind the Umbrella Corporation s illegal bio-weapon development. The website ties in to real life conspiracy theories, many surrounding large corporations, with regards to the actions of all from KFC to Nestle and GlaxoSmithKline. These corporations regularly attract the attention of theorists with regards to their activities in the third world, or simple exploitation/ withholding of information regarding products and their side effects, and so the promotional material interestingly builds on the theme of corporate accountability in the twenty-first century, as well as utilizing the obsession with evidence that has become the key in the invisible war of the conspiracy analyst, which by its very title implies the analysis of evidence. This also, therefore lends itself to the very concept of Augmented Reality, with evidence such as the

faked documentation, e-mail servers and web addresses serving to add greater depth to the artificial world of the game itself, as well as increasing the level of believability in the world in a remarkably similar way to conspiracy theorists aims of substantiating the believability of their claims through the use of evidence. With regards to this, the website uk-skeptics quotes; Any evidence that lends credence to their theories will be uncritically accepted as truth. Any evidence that opposes their theories is dismissed out of hand. The quality of evidence is not important as long as it supports the conspiracy theory. Evidence, it seems, is important to the modern conspiracy theorist; as in this case it is important for immersion into a fictional conspiracy. In contrast to the fake ARG of www.insertedevil.com, the Muriel S Miller Foundation website serves to educate the public regarding the facts that with regards to the treatment of cancer and the actions of pharmaceutical companies; Of course their choice will be the patented, conventional most profitable toxic chemotherapy drugs available which will harm more than help us and ensure a business as usual continuation of the multi-billion dollar cancer industry which only recognizes the three treatment evils, cut poison and burn or better known as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. It then invites the viewer to Read on to learn more about the evils of the Cancer and Pharmaceutical Industries. The website itself is very basic, with few images, but these in turn serve the purpose of the page itself, such as the Cancer daffodil with a warning sign through it. The page is set in a standard white typeface on black, and primarily serves only to show its cause. The links at the bottom of the page link to articles from various publications reposted in the same typeface on a beige, stone background, and several of the links are not yet active , with these highlighted by a coming soon jpeg. The links that the website views as of higher importance, such as The History and Conspiracies of the Pharmaceutical Industry and How Cancer Politics Have Kept You in the Dark , it highlights in yellow, while recent articles are highlighted by an identical jpeg as the coming soon , but featuring a breaking news icon. The website itself features this minimalist approach to highlight not only the local nature of the Foundation, but also a singular dedication to its cause, in this case the exposition of what it views as a conspiracy concerning the curing of cancer by large pharmaceutical firms to use conventional most profitable toxic chemotherapy drugs available which will harm more than help us and ensure a business as usual continuation of the multi-billion dollar cancer industry which only recognizes the three treatment evils, cut poison and burn or better known as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation. The site s spartan display shows only the information, and the use of simply text to show the articles, when added to the basic use of jpegs, shows an amateur approach, showing that the Foundation hasn t hired anyone to make the website for them. This does, however, limit the believability of its claims, as it simply shows a similar approach as the many thousands of amateur conspiracy websites online, but does show the Foundation s aims and evidence in a basic way that makes it easy to access and understand, with clear wording and a bold method of displaying text. However, the evidence itself , coupled with the lack of accessible links can only confuse viewers, and the use of accusations, such as the introduction, which claims this of the American Cancer Society; The national headquarters survives by taking 40% of each divisions funds. Although the ACS bills itself as primarily volunteer based, the single most important spending category at the state levels is for staff salaries ranging from 45 to 60% of the total budget. Both websites, while containing similarities in theme, are aimed at different audiences and for different purposes, and this can be seen in everything from the content to the basic construction

of the site. While both feature conspiracies of a pharmaceutical nature, www.insertedevil.com serves to advertise an upcoming video game, and by its very essence needs to market itself as an alternate truth. In utilizing links to evidence , such as the high school homepage for the fictional Raccoon City, it plays on the obsession with evidence to the modern conspiracy theorist while allowing for immersion into an alternate game world. In contrast, while the Muriel S Miller Foundation wants to raise awareness of what it views as a real conspiracy surrounding pharmaceutical corporations in the present day, unlike the ARG of insertedevil, it doesn t have to sell a product; the donations are supplementary, and the basic layout and design of the webpage serve simply to display what it views are the facts. It does this through a Spartan design which showcases only the basic Jpeg images and also a bold text; this way, the links themselves go directly to the articles on pharmaceutical conspiracies, however, the basic layout makes it confusing, with the coming soon dead links detracting from its objective, and its Spartan layout featuring similarities to other amateur conspiracy sites coupled with a lack of corroborated evidence behind its accusations serve to further detract from its cause.