Blog Post
Treasure Quest #1: The Quest Begins!
by nicole
Last night as you were sleeping a strange wind blew through the fog
and cracked open a portal in our item catalog!
There through this crack in time a strip of summer could be seen
and futuristic treasure poured out from 2019!
Perhaps it was the weather, or the witching hour's begun,
(or maybe it's a story—who cares, this is just for fun!),
But whatever the reason the result is still the same—
We found these 2019 points and had to make a game!
That game is this and this is what? A puzzle and a Quest!
Some clues and hints are given, but you’ll have to find the rest.
We forged some Keys, constructed Gates, and locked away these games.
It’s finding and unlocking them that will be your true aim!
Each starting month our catalog will hide a brand new Key
that opens up another fun-filled opportunity!
So that’s the game! You get the point, there’s nothing more to say:
Dust of your brains and compass—Treasure Quest is underway!
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Somewhere in the vast catalog a mysterious Key has appeared! The hunt for The Graveyard Key begins now!
Two boys go walking through the forest on a hallowed day.
A froggy sings.
A lantern swings
To light the wooded way.
A Beast lurks out in the Unknown just waiting for his turn,
So don't despair.
Be wise. Beware!
Or you'll be fuel to burn.
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Click on the image to get started searching for this Key (and the Gate!), or do something else entirely, like:
Journey to the adventure-filled Badge List!
Travel into the wilds of the AADL Catalog!
Blog Post
It's the final CLASSIC SHOP DROP of 2018!
by eli
THIS IS IT! These are the last things to hit the shop before it closes at Midnight on Sunday, September 9th! If you've still got classic points, no worries; the Classic Shop will definitely be back next summer. For now, get your hands on some of these ASTOUNDING items, plus 20 more of our famously USED UP TOTE BAGS:
Have fun with these final items, and as always, THANKS FOR PLAYING!
Blog Post
Badge Drop #12: Drop the Mic
by andrewjmac
It's the FINAL BADGE DROP of Summer Game 2018, time to drop this year's MASTER BADGES! What is a Master Badge? Why, its a badge you earn for having completed an entire badge series on the Badge List. So if you've been keeping up with your badges all summer long today IS A HUGE BONUS POINT DAY FOR YOU! And if you haven't...well, we have other news.
Today is more than just the Master Badge Drop, it's also the FINAL DAY OF SUMMER GAME, with just SEVEN HOURS LEFT to earn Summer Game 2018 points. AND SINCE it's the last day of the game, that ALSO means that tonight is one of the biggest events in the Summer Game calendar, the Game Over Gala! So drop by the Downtown Library tonight between 6 and 8 pm for cookies, coloring, camaraderie, and CODES!
This alignment comes along only rarely, like a solar eclipse or the passing of a comet or a parking space right in front of the place you are actually going! The game ends at MIDNIGHT TONIGHT, you have to get your last-minute scrambling done by then!
So today we get to do that rarest of things and in one day deliver unto you a healthy load of Master Badges AND send Summer Game 2018 off in style. IT'S ALMOST AS THOUGH WE HAD PLANNED IT (note: we have no control over which days of the week certain dates fall on, so we did not in fact plan it).
And now, it's time to bid adieu to catalog badges, wave goodbye to hidden branch codes, say bearwell to ursine puns, cry "GORBLE!" to the Goblin Games, and--
Hold on, I'm just getting word that while Summer Game may be over THE GAMES GO ON! But with no goblins or banners or green sheets or silly catalog searches, what could these games possibly BE?
-REVIEW REVIEWER reviews on, loaded with reviews for you to review from here to eternity!
-FRESH Points-O-Matic modes to be delivered in the coming weeks!
-UNHEARD OF and NEVER-SEE-BEFORE off-season games to astound and delight (and probably seriously stump) you!
But you'll be busy with school and work and soon enough shoveling the driveway out. How could we possibly tempt you to keep playing ALL YEAR LONG? How about if we told you that THESE GAMES ARE THE ONLY WAY TO EARN SUMMER GAME 2019 POINTS BEFORE IT EVEN STARTS?! That's right, the only way to start racking up points NOW for Summer Game 2019 is to play away at the off-season games. And who knows, you might also have some FUN, right?
If only there were a convenient location to visit to check up on when all of these new games might start and exactly what they are and how you can GET THEM POINTSSSS! A convenient location like play.aadl.org! Oh, WAIT. IT'S PLAY.AADL.ORG.
Remember that the Summer Game Shop will stay open until September 9th, so spend time today earning those points so you can take the next two week to deliberate on WHICH AWESOME PRIZES YOU WANT TO BUY.
In the meantime, we've only got one thing left to do between now and when we flip that big GAME OVER switch, and that's to tell you once again and fur real...THANKS FOR PLAYING!
Blog Post
What's in the final CLASSIC SHOP DROP?
by eli
Summer Game is ROARING to a close, and with it, the MASTER BADGE DROP and the final CLASSIC SHOP DROP of 2018! Because this Classic Shop Drop will actually happen DURING this friday's Star-Studded GAME OVER GALA, we've got a lot of quantity of most of these items. So come back at 7 PM SHARP Friday for Window Clings, Field Notes, and NEARLY USELESS LOGS, plus limited quantities of AADL Sharpies. BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE! The Dungeon Dwellers have sent word that they have found a few more of our COMPLETELY USED STORIES TO GO BAGS hiding in the Prize Vault, so we'll be dropping those this Friday too! So if you missed out on those HIGHLY STURDY but DEFINITELY DISGUSTING Canvas Zipper bags, have your points at the ready come Friday Night! See you at the Gala... and THANKS FOR PLAYING!
Blog Post
Classic Shop Drop #5: Let's Go GADGETY!
by eli
OK, it's a tiny bit of a stretch, but how else would you classify these four UNUSUAL and DISPARATE objects? Gadget is fairly inclusive phrase, and all, or at least most, of these items offer some utility, right? RIGHT? Well, along with your weekly PRICE DROPS on remaining Classic Shop Items, here's 4 GADGETY CLASSICS for you:
Just one more CLASSIC SHOP DROP yet to come next Friday at 7 PM SHARP! And then you've got until MIDNIGHT on Sunday, September 9th to make your FINAL SELECTIONS from the Summer Game Shop. So, get cracking, and as always... THANKS FOR PLAYING!
Blog Post
Badge Drop #11: You're Gonna Miss Us When We're Gone
by nicole
Like a Downtown-bound bus driving past the Library, the end of the line is nigh! Your stroll along the sunny sidewalk of Summer Game is almost done. We know you know it, and we feel your concern. After all, what IS there after Summer to even be excited ABOUT? After Summer there's only the mysterious abyss that is FALL. Nothing but pumpkin-scented darkness and textbooks and ironic holidays about manual labor.
Some of you have already spent your Summer Game savings, picked up your prizes, and are ready to march fearlessly into Fall with your AADL umbrella held high, and that's alright with us, but we can tell...
You're gonna miss us when we're gone.
You might think you see the shape of a Summer Game badge in your cinnamon-covered donut as you trundle around the cider mill atop an itchy bale of hay. You may think you spy, from the corner of your eye, a Summer Game code as you pay $18 for pumpkin-spiced water at of your local coffee place. You may even look up during your laboriously labor-less Labor Day and think back to when it was SUMMER and there was WORK TO BE DONE.
Yep, you're gonna miss us when we're gone.
But NOT YET. Lucky for you, Summer is STILL HAPPENING. And to prove it, we've brought you this not-quite-yet-parting gift of these: the LAST BADGES, before the prestigious MASTER BADGE DROP next week! Because here at SG Headquarters we believe it ain't over til it's OVER.
So finish up your last badges and enter your last codes, because the 2018 Summer Game ends on AUGUST 31st at MIDNIGHT!
That's right, Ann Arbor, enjoy your apple-bobbing parties and your indignant babies wearing costumes they never volunteered for and your crunchy leaf piles that conceal spiders and dragons, probably. We wish you could stay here with us in this serene bubble of Summer Game simplicity, but it's almost time to move on, and we know...
You’re gonna miss us by our hair. You’re gonna miss us and our bears, oh...You’re gonna miss us when we're gone.
THANKS FOR PLAYING!
Blog Post
What's in this week's CLASSIC SHOP DROP?
by eli
Only TWO Classic Shop Drops left to go this summer, leading up to the end of Summer Game on 8/31, and the closing of the 2018 SG Shop on 9/9! It's tragic, we know. BUT TIME MARCHES ON. And stay tuned, you Summer Game Addicts, we've got some stuff cooking to keep you warm all winter. BUT FOR NOW, you're surely wondering what's on tap for this Friday's CLASSIC SHOP DROP at 7 PM SHARP! Well, this week we've got 4 sorta gadgety things for you. Starting with the VASTLY UNAPPRECIATED Fuzzy Felt Tablet Sleeve, and the MOSTLY UNDERWHELMING Brick Bank, we'll also have a good supply of the TOTALLY WONDERFUL Logo Projector Flashlight. But the COUPE DE GRAZI of this week's CSD is in very limited quantity, and will be priced to match... it's the mysterious, and intensely enigmatic AADL SPHERE OF ANSWERS! Yes, it's the only SG product we've ever offered that actually helps you make decisions, unless you're in the habit of asking your messenger bag YES or NO questions.
Stay tuned for that, and FINISH STRONG... the MASTER BADGE DROP isn't far off now, so make sure your BADGE PAGE is COMPLETE! And as always... THANKS FOR PLAYING!
Blog Post
Classic Shop Drop #4: RARE Shirts & Hats!
by eli
Time for another CLASSIC SHOP DROP! Today we've got 2 rare shirts and 2 rare hats for you, fresh (not actually fresh) from the SUMMER GAME PRIZE VAULT! These are in very limited quantities and sizes, so JUMP while you can!
We've got what we've got, and once they're gone, they're gone! So don't miss this limited OPPORTUNITY to own a bit of Summer Game HISTORY! There's 2 more classic shop drops left to come, and then the Shop will close for the season on September 9th. So, happy shopping, and THANKS FOR PLAYING!
Blog Post
Badge Drop #10: Introducing REVIEW REVIEWER!
by andrewjmac
We all know how those long days of summer can fry the brain and get you thinking that summertime--and therefore SUMMER GAME--will go on forever. We here at the Summer Game Home Office have news to deliver to you: NUH-UH. Sorry, but the end of Summer Game fast approacheth. And it approachethes even faster with this, now the ANTEPENULTIMATE [from the Latin ante (your uncle's wife) + pen (a place where pigs are kept) + ultimate (a frisbee game from gym class)] BADGE DROP POST!
BUT DON'T FREAK OUT! You've still got TWO WHOLE WEEKS to rack up points to spend in the AMAZING SUMMER GAME SHOP! The only question is HOW will you rack those points up? We assume by collecting codes, earning badges, writing reviews, rating items in the catalog, oh, and...
REVIEWING REVIEWS WITH THE ALL-NEW REVIEW REVIEWER! That's right, the REVIEW REVIEWER is finally here and ready to gather your feedback on tens of thousands of reviews from the AADL catalog. Where can you get to this wonderful machine? Why, right here, or on the handy POINTS-O-MATIC link in the play.aadl.org Quick Links menu!
But what, EXACTLY, is this Review Reviewer asking you to DO? Pretty simple: it shows you a review at random and you tell us if we should Keep It (when it's a fine review, no problems), Trash It (when it is garbage that doesn't tell you anything about the item or its quality), or if THIS IS AMAZING (when...it's...AMAZING, did I have to spell that one out?). By reviewing reviews, you will be helping clear out garbage reviews from the AADL catalog, helping reward writers of AMAZING REVIEWS with the HUGE 500 POINT AMAZING REVIEW BONUS, and earning points for yourself to go toward that umbrella or hat or giraffe or whatever! The Review Reviewer works by going with the consensus opinion about what category reviews fall into, so no one person can get good reviews tossed out or award that HUGE BONUS to those who might not deserve it.
So let's review: with the weeks left at two, the best thing to do is get you viewing the queue of reviews in the new Review Reviewer! I knew you could do it!
Thanks for playing!
Blog Post
Test drive an exciting new feature... AND GET POINTS!
by eli
That's right, we've got a design for an aadl.org feature that's been a long time coming... and if you give us some feedback on the design, there's points in it for you! And you can make aadl.org better in the process! Ready?
Start the Notifications Usability Study, complete the 10 missions, and after you submit the questionnaire at the end, you'll get a code worth 1000 points!
And you can put those points towards items from the upcoming CLASSIC SHOP DROP, that will bring a collection of CLASSIC and RARE SHIRTS and HATS! Limited sizes and style available, but there are some seriously CLASSIC and seriously RARE tshirts coming this Friday at 7 PM SHARP!