<s>
The	O
Potato	O
Sack'''	O
is	O
the	O
name	O
of	O
an	O
alternate	O
reality	O
game	O
(	O
ARG	O
)	O
created	O
by	O
Valve	O
and	O
the	O
developers	O
of	O
thirteen	O
independent	O
video	O
games	O
to	O
promote	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Valve	O
's	O
game	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
in	O
April	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
,	O
requiring	O
players	O
to	O
find	O
and	O
solve	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
puzzles	O
hidden	O
within	O
updates	O
of	O
the	O
thirteen	O
games	O
,	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
opportunity	O
for	O
players	O
to	O
release	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
about	O
10	O
hours	O
earlier	O
than	O
its	O
planned	O
release	O
by	O
playing	O
games	O
under	O
the	O
pretense	O
of	O
powering	O
up	O
GLaDOS	O
,	O
the	O
sentient	O
computer	O
antagonist	O
from	O
the	O
Portal	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ARG	O
's	O
theme	O
of	O
potatoes	O
is	O
based	O
on	O
plot	O
elements	O
within	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
specifically	O
that	O
for	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
GLaDOS	O
's	O
personality	O
module	O
is	O
run	O
off	O
a	O
potato	B-Algorithm
battery	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ARG	O
began	O
without	O
announcement	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
the	O
"	O
Potato	B-Application
Sack	I-Application
Bundle	O
"	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
on	O
April	O
1	O
,	O
2011	O
,	O
which	O
offered	O
the	O
included	O
games	O
at	O
75%	O
off	O
their	O
normal	O
price	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
games	O
included	O
in	O
the	B-Application
Potato	I-Application
Sack	I-Application
are	O
listed	O
below	O
with	O
their	O
developer	O
and	O
release	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
(	O
Drop	O
That	O
Beat	O
Like	O
an	O
Ugly	O
Baby	O
)	O
Dejobaan	O
Games	O
2011	O
AaaaaAAaaaAAAaaAAAAaAAAAA	B-Application
!!!	I-Application
</s>
<s>
On	O
the	O
release	O
date	O
of	O
the	B-Application
Potato	I-Application
Sack	I-Application
bundle	O
,	O
players	O
found	O
the	O
games	O
within	O
it	O
had	O
recently	O
received	O
updates	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Other	O
hints	O
were	O
less	O
direct	O
,	O
using	O
online	O
services	O
such	O
as	O
Twitter	B-Application
and	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
to	O
embed	O
clues	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
case	O
of	O
Toki	B-Application
Tori	I-Application
,	O
sections	O
of	O
new	O
levels	O
included	O
braille	O
code	O
that	O
referred	O
to	O
latitude	O
and	O
longitude	O
coordinates	O
of	O
Two	O
Tribes	O
 '	O
headquarters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
April	O
7	O
,	O
each	O
of	O
the	O
games	O
in	O
the	B-Application
Potato	I-Application
Sack	I-Application
received	O
a	O
second	O
major	O
update	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
found	O
that	O
by	O
completing	O
certain	O
tasks	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
they	O
would	O
be	O
presented	O
with	O
login	O
screens	O
for	O
the	O
fictional	O
Aperture	O
Science	O
corporation	O
within	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
provided	O
players	O
with	O
compressed	O
archives	O
of	O
pictures	O
that	O
consisted	O
of	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
artwork	O
,	O
including	O
photographs	O
from	O
around	O
Seattle	O
(	O
where	O
Valve	O
is	O
based	O
)	O
embedded	O
in	O
their	O
alpha	B-Algorithm
channels	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
players	O
that	O
reached	O
and	O
logged	O
into	O
these	O
screens	O
received	O
a	O
potato	O
icon	O
for	O
each	O
accessed	O
screen	O
on	O
their	O
Steam	B-Application
profile	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
thumb|upright	O
=	O
1.3	O
|For	O
the	O
third	O
update	O
,	O
Teotl	O
Studios	O
integrated	O
their	O
own	O
Mayan-inspired	O
level	O
design	O
with	O
Portal-themed	O
aspects	O
to	O
create	O
additional	O
content	O
for	O
The	B-Application
Ball	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
updates	O
were	O
all	O
Portal	O
themed	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
levels	O
based	O
on	O
Aperture	O
Science	O
in	O
The	B-Application
Ball	I-Application
and	O
Killing	B-Application
Floor	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
mapping	O
these	O
points	O
,	O
using	O
locations	O
commonly	O
shared	O
by	O
one	O
clue	O
,	O
players	O
were	O
led	O
to	O
the	O
name	O
of	O
a	O
Steam	B-Application
group	O
that	O
contained	O
a	O
single	O
member	O
by	O
the	O
name	O
of	O
"	O
dinosaur	O
"	O
,	O
a	O
reference	O
to	O
an	O
earlier	O
ARG	O
used	O
for	O
Portal	B-Application
2s	I-Application
announcement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
who	O
discovered	O
these	O
audio	O
clues	O
would	O
be	O
awarded	O
another	O
potato	O
on	O
their	O
Steam	B-Application
profile	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
total	O
of	O
36	O
possible	O
potatoes	O
were	O
found	O
:	O
35	O
within	O
the	O
games	O
and	O
the	O
referenced	O
Steam	B-Application
group	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
36th	O
earned	O
by	O
obtaining	O
all	O
35	O
of	O
the	O
other	O
potatoes	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Concurrent	O
with	O
these	O
changes	O
,	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
became	O
available	O
for	O
pre-loading	O
on	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
client	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
this	O
point	O
,	O
several	O
journalists	O
and	O
players	O
suspected	O
that	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
may	O
have	O
been	O
unlocked	O
early	O
at	O
the	O
end	O
of	O
the	O
countdown	O
timer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
correlated	O
with	O
a	O
separate	O
puzzle	O
embedded	O
in	O
messages	O
sent	O
by	O
Newell	O
to	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
gaming	O
sites	O
;	O
the	O
message	O
suggested	O
the	O
"	O
early	O
release	O
"	O
of	O
material	O
and	O
"	O
thirteen	O
offsite	O
chambers	O
"	O
,	O
seemingly	O
referring	O
to	O
the	O
independent	O
games	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
a	O
message	O
"	O
4/19/2011	O
7	O
AM	O
==	O
4/15/2011	O
9	O
AM	O
"	O
,	O
again	O
referencing	O
the	O
planned	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
release	O
date	O
and	O
the	O
countdown	O
timer	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
revealed	O
that	O
these	O
players	O
,	O
contacted	O
by	O
Valve	O
a	O
few	O
days	O
prior	O
,	O
were	O
invited	O
to	O
Valve	O
's	O
headquarters	O
to	O
be	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
play	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Spoofing	O
other	O
distributed	B-Architecture
computing	I-Architecture
efforts	O
like	O
Folding	B-Application
@home	I-Application
,	O
the	O
site	O
stated	O
that	O
if	O
players	O
generated	O
enough	O
CPU	O
cycles	O
by	O
playing	O
the	O
thirteen	O
games	O
in	O
the	B-Application
Potato	I-Application
Sack	I-Application
,	O
GLaDOS	O
would	O
be	O
rebooted	O
earlier	O
,	O
effectively	O
suggesting	O
an	O
earlier	O
release	O
of	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
before	O
the	O
originally	O
scheduled	O
time	O
of	O
7:00	O
AM	O
PDT	O
on	O
April	O
19	O
,	O
2011	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Only	O
one	O
game	O
,	O
Killing	B-Application
Floor	I-Application
,	O
saw	O
an	O
update	O
in	O
this	O
phase	O
,	O
where	O
a	O
special	O
chamber	O
in	O
their	O
Portal-themed	O
map	O
would	O
be	O
opened	O
for	O
players	O
to	O
complete	O
for	O
an	O
in-game	O
achievement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
players	O
organized	O
a	O
schedule	O
of	O
games	O
to	O
be	O
played	O
to	O
maximize	O
the	O
rate	O
of	O
progression	O
,	O
and	O
eventually	O
,	O
ended	O
up	O
unlocking	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
on	O
Steam	B-Application
about	O
ten	O
hours	O
before	O
this	O
scheduled	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
approximately	O
1800	O
players	O
that	O
had	O
successfully	O
earned	O
all	O
36	O
potatoes	O
by	O
the	O
time	O
of	O
Portal	B-Application
2s	I-Application
launch	O
were	O
given	O
the	O
Valve	O
complete	O
pack	O
,	O
including	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
which	O
they	O
could	O
gift	O
to	O
other	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
who	O
had	O
found	O
at	O
least	O
thirteen	O
potatoes	O
or	O
played	O
each	O
of	O
the	B-Application
Potato	I-Application
Sack	I-Application
games	O
for	O
a	O
minimum	O
amount	O
of	O
time	O
received	O
Portal	O
2-themed	O
items	O
within	O
Team	B-Application
Fortress	I-Application
2	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
June	O
13	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
the	B-Application
Potato	I-Application
Sack	I-Application
bundle	O
briefly	O
returned	O
to	O
Steam	B-Application
under	O
the	O
name	O
"	O
Potato	B-Application
Sack	I-Application
-	O
June	O
2012	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
had	O
previously	O
performed	O
an	O
ARG	O
in	O
the	O
week	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
announcement	O
of	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
at	O
the	O
start	O
of	O
March	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
thumb|right|Gabe	O
Newell	O
,	O
president	O
of	O
Valve	O
,	O
is	O
credited	O
with	O
the	O
concept	O
behind	O
the	B-Application
Potato	I-Application
Sack	I-Application
ARG	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
idea	O
of	O
the	B-Application
Potato	I-Application
Sack	I-Application
ARG	O
came	O
from	O
Valve	O
president	O
Gabe	O
Newell	O
sometime	O
around	O
December	O
2010	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
on	O
the	O
success	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
ARG	O
,	O
he	O
saw	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
promote	O
both	O
the	O
highly	O
anticipated	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
release	O
along	O
with	O
several	O
independent	O
games	O
through	O
a	O
"	O
Cross	O
Game	O
Design	O
Event	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Only	O
there	O
did	O
Valve	O
explain	O
the	O
promotion	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
ultimate	O
goal	O
being	O
the	O
early	O
release	O
of	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
at	O
the	O
conclusion	O
of	O
the	O
ARG	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
Gaijin	O
Games	O
 '	O
CEO	O
Alex	O
Neuse	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Furthermore	O
,	O
the	O
developers	O
were	O
given	O
the	O
opportunity	O
to	O
play	O
what	O
had	O
existed	O
of	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
to	O
build	O
ideas	O
for	O
the	O
ARG	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
potato	O
theme	O
was	O
based	O
on	O
Portal	B-Application
2s	I-Application
fiction	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
,	O
during	O
a	O
portion	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
GLaDOS	O
 '	O
personality	O
is	O
placed	O
into	O
a	O
potato	B-Algorithm
battery	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
To	O
help	O
promote	O
the	O
ARG	O
,	O
Valve	O
and	O
the	O
developers	O
arranged	O
for	O
the	B-Application
Potato	I-Application
Sack	I-Application
sale	O
as	O
to	O
"	O
make	O
it	O
easier	O
for	O
hard-core	O
fans	O
to	O
participate	O
in	O
every	O
aspect	O
of	O
the	O
ARG	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Throughout	O
the	O
ARG	O
,	O
the	O
players	O
were	O
monitored	O
by	O
the	O
developers	O
through	O
the	O
Internet	B-Protocol
Relay	I-Protocol
Chat	I-Protocol
,	O
forums	O
,	O
and	O
web	O
sites	O
that	O
were	O
being	O
used	O
to	O
coordinate	O
the	O
solving	O
effort	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
another	O
example	O
,	O
another	O
chat	O
room	O
user	O
,	O
following	O
a	O
red	O
herring	O
,	O
visited	O
a	O
physical	O
location	O
near	O
the	O
California	O
studio	O
for	O
Team	B-Application
Meat	I-Application
;	O
Edmund	O
McMillen	O
was	O
able	O
to	O
arrange	O
to	O
meet	O
the	O
user	O
and	O
give	O
him	O
a	O
signed	O
copy	O
of	O
Super	B-Application
Meat	I-Application
Boy	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
also	O
placed	O
hidden	O
messages	O
in	O
promotional	O
videos	O
for	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
which	O
helped	O
to	O
point	O
the	O
ARG	O
players	O
in	O
specific	O
directions	O
,	O
including	O
calling	O
some	O
of	O
the	O
players	O
out	O
by	O
name	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Valve	O
also	O
quickly	O
responded	O
to	O
a	O
web	O
site	O
that	O
used	O
Steam	B-Application
credentials	O
to	O
award	O
players	O
the	O
potatoes	O
without	O
having	O
to	O
complete	O
the	O
target	O
achievements	O
;	O
only	O
about	O
1%	O
of	O
the	O
potatoes	O
were	O
earned	O
this	O
way	O
,	O
and	O
Valve	O
later	O
revoked	O
them	O
,	O
though	O
let	O
players	O
earn	O
them	O
again	O
though	O
legitimate	O
means	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
release	O
of	O
the	B-Application
Potato	I-Application
Sack	I-Application
on	O
April	O
1	O
may	O
have	O
been	O
a	O
bad	O
decision	O
according	O
to	O
Jagnow	O
,	O
as	O
they	O
did	O
not	O
get	O
the	O
press	O
exposure	O
they	O
thought	O
they	O
would	O
in	O
conjunction	O
with	O
the	O
other	O
April	O
Fool	O
's	O
events	O
occurring	O
that	O
day	O
,	O
with	O
some	O
media	O
outlets	O
hesitant	O
to	O
report	O
on	O
potential	O
pranks	O
for	O
fear	O
of	O
having	O
to	O
retract	O
these	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Originally	O
scheduled	O
for	O
April	O
16	O
or	O
17	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
pushed	O
to	O
April	O
15	O
to	O
allow	O
more	O
players	O
,	O
including	O
international	O
ones	O
,	O
to	O
participate	O
in	O
the	O
effort	O
to	O
release	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
early	O
,	O
and	O
to	O
gain	O
media	O
attention	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
,	O
the	O
developers	O
found	O
that	O
existing	O
players	O
of	O
the	O
ARG	O
were	O
frustrated	O
with	O
no	O
new	O
puzzles	O
to	O
solve	O
,	O
while	O
new	O
players	O
brought	O
to	O
the	O
site	O
by	O
the	O
media	O
were	O
skeptical	O
and	O
saw	O
the	O
event	O
as	O
"	O
a	O
cheap	O
media	O
ploy	O
to	O
get	O
players	O
to	O
buy	O
the	B-Application
Potato	I-Application
Sack	I-Application
in	O
the	O
hope	O
of	O
an	O
early	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
release	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Overall	O
,	O
the	O
alternate	O
reality	O
game	O
received	O
mixed	O
response	O
from	O
gamers	O
,	O
some	O
praising	O
it	O
as	O
outstanding	O
marketing	O
between	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
and	O
the	O
indie	O
gamers	O
,	O
others	O
considering	O
it	O
a	O
way	O
to	O
force	O
players	O
to	O
buy	O
games	O
they	O
do	O
not	O
want	O
to	O
gain	O
access	O
to	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
earlier	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
David	O
Ewalt	O
of	O
Forbes	O
considered	O
the	O
tactic	O
a	O
huge	O
benefit	O
for	O
the	O
indie	O
developers	O
,	O
whose	O
games	O
led	O
Steam	B-Application
sales	O
charts	O
in	O
the	O
weeks	O
leading	O
to	O
Portal	B-Application
2s	I-Application
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Luke	O
Plunkett	O
of	O
Kotaku	O
was	O
more	O
critical	O
,	O
commenting	O
that	O
for	O
most	O
players	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
having	O
the	O
release	O
only	O
ten	O
hours	O
earlier	O
—	O
occurring	O
overnight	O
for	O
many	O
—	O
would	O
be	O
"	O
business	O
as	O
usual	O
"	O
in	O
that	O
they	O
would	O
not	O
be	O
able	O
to	O
play	O
until	O
the	O
next	O
day	O
;	O
thus	O
,	O
players	O
that	O
purchased	O
and	O
spent	O
time	O
in	O
the	B-Application
Potato	I-Application
Sack	I-Application
games	O
may	O
have	O
simply	O
wasted	O
their	O
money	O
for	O
something	O
they	O
did	O
n't	O
want	O
to	O
gain	O
almost	O
nothing	O
back	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retailers	O
in	O
countries	O
where	O
the	O
disc-based	O
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
would	O
have	O
lagged	O
a	O
few	O
days	O
behind	O
the	O
Steam	B-Application
release	O
opted	O
to	O
break	O
their	O
street	O
date	O
to	O
avoid	O
losing	O
sales	O
to	O
the	O
digital	O
downloads	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
direct	O
sales	O
from	O
Steam	B-Application
are	O
unknown	O
,	O
the	B-Application
Potato	I-Application
Sack	I-Application
ARG	O
helped	O
to	O
boost	O
sales	O
of	O
the	O
independent	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
whole	O
Potato	B-Application
Sack	I-Application
promotion	O
was	O
the	O
second-highest	O
selling	O
compilation	O
on	O
Steam	B-Application
in	O
the	O
week	O
prior	O
to	O
Portal	B-Application
2s	I-Application
release	O
,	O
following	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
itself	O
and	O
ahead	O
of	O
the	O
Potato	O
Sack/Portal	O
2	O
bundle	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dylan	B-Application
Fitterer	I-Application
,	O
programmer	O
for	O
Audiosurf	B-Application
,	O
noted	O
that	O
during	O
the	O
promotion	O
,	O
more	O
than	O
6000	O
people	O
were	O
playing	O
his	O
game	O
at	O
a	O
time	O
,	O
compared	O
to	O
300	O
players	O
before	O
the	O
event	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fitterer	O
also	O
saw	O
an	O
opportunity	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
new	O
game	O
based	O
upon	O
the	O
ARG-themed	O
addition	O
to	O
Audiosurf	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Thomas	O
Grip	O
of	O
Frictional	O
Games	O
claimed	O
that	O
the	O
boost	O
of	O
sales	O
for	O
Amnesia	O
within	O
the	O
first	O
two	O
days	O
of	O
the	B-Application
Potato	I-Application
Sack	I-Application
sale	O
completely	O
covered	O
the	O
development	O
costs	O
for	O
the	O
added	O
"	O
Justine	B-Application
"	O
content	O
they	O
had	O
developed	O
for	O
the	O
ARG	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
John	O
Gibson	O
of	O
Tripwire	O
Interactive	O
believed	O
that	O
similar	O
ARGs	O
could	O
be	O
run	O
in	O
the	O
future	O
without	O
the	O
presence	O
of	O
a	O
major	O
title	O
like	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
as	O
long	O
as	O
there	O
is	O
a	O
significant	O
payoff	O
for	O
the	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Journalists	O
noted	O
that	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
user	O
reviews	O
for	O
Portal	B-Application
2	I-Application
on	O
Metacritic	O
evoked	O
negative	O
opinion	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
believed	O
to	O
be	O
tied	O
to	O
the	O
minimal	O
impact	O
on	O
Portal	O
2''s	O
release	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
users	O
cited	O
complaints	O
about	O
the	O
game	O
being	O
too	O
short	O
(	O
with	O
some	O
saying	O
it	O
is	O
only	O
four	O
hours	O
long	O
)	O
,	O
the	O
existence	O
of	O
paid	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
at	O
launch	O
for	O
some	O
versions	O
,	O
and	O
supposed	O
evidence	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
on	O
Microsoft	O
Windows	O
and	O
Mac	O
OS	O
X	O
were	O
ports	O
of	O
the	O
console	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Journalists	O
have	O
defended	O
Valve	O
in	O
these	O
claims	O
,	O
countering	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
length	O
depends	O
on	O
the	O
amount	O
of	O
immersion	O
the	O
player	O
puts	O
into	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
that	O
the	O
downloadable	B-Protocol
content	I-Protocol
is	O
only	O
cosmetic	O
additions	O
for	O
the	O
co-op	O
mode	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
quality	O
of	O
the	O
graphics	O
on	O
the	O
Windows	O
and	O
Mac	O
version	O
do	O
not	O
suggest	O
a	O
simple	O
console	O
port	O
.	O
</s>
