Joseph Matheny

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.

[1] He holds patents for prediction, recommendation and behavioral analysis algorithms and software design.

[2] He is a published author of screenplays, white papers, technology, sci-fi, marketing and gaming books.

He is probably best known for the avant-garde work Ong's Hat, which has been called the proto-Alternate Reality Game.

[1][3] Ong's Hat is often cited as the first ARG on many lists of alternate reality games.