This Is Not a Game with Marc Fennell

by Marc Fennell

This Is Not a Game is the extraordinary untold story of the internet’s first conspiracy theory, the legend of Ong’s Hat.

Marc Fennell will dive deep into a previously unexplored world of tech hippies, eccentric web subcultures and simmering paranoia, uncovering how this tongue-in-cheek artistic experiment backfired on its creator and went on to influence much of what’s wrong with the internet today.

Hosted and co-produced by Marc Fennell

A BBC Studios production for Audible

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook, History

Audiobook

Published May 6, 2024

Reviews

[Boris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and to the point, this is an interesting story about internet history and play gone wrong. I must admit I wasn't familiar with Ong’s Hat, so everything was news to me, and the narrative kept me immersed. Testimonials really gave the audiobook a different flavor, giving it sort of true crime podcast vibe.

[Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good one from Marc Fennell. This does highlight a lot of issues with the tech industry at large. Start something, don't think it through, don't bother with due diligence, don't think about consequences and when it goes sideways, wash your hands of it and say it wasn't my fault. I do wish Fennell had challenged the guy responsible for the "game" instead of giving him a pass.

[Dave Lockyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating true life story of Ongs Hat , a creation that started as a game playing story when the internet was in its infancy.
Marc Fennel unwraps the story and interviews in depth its creator Joseph Matheny who explains where it started, and how it became , almost in lockstep with the corporatisation of the internet, the original internet conspiracy.

[Kaya Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty fun. I love conspiracy theories; they're fascinating.
Never heard of Ong's Hat before, strangely enough

[John the Ponderer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable history of early on-line myths.

[Marie W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed both of Marc Fennel's audios but this one did not hit the mark for me.
I have finished now and do not think I have learned anything! The layout of the audio was so weird and hectic. I suppose it is supposed to be a podcast form, but it doesn't work at all as an audiobook. Also, this is not exclusive to this book, but all the special effect noises are so triggering to me! I get scared by all the extra scary noises right into my ears when I listen to this with earphones on. I had to listen to this audiobook only when I was in my house! That's not okay!
Do yourself a favor and go listen to Fennel's audiobook about nuts! That was enlightening.

[Ashlee · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s immediately obvious that This is Not a Game is written by a podcaster. If you don’t like the format, then you will probably dislike this book. However, if you are podcast neutral or a fan, then you will find it to be well presented and engaging.

“Back then, when we came to the internet we were looking for friendship… now people come to the internet to be validated.”

I think the book's blurb forms false expectations for readers. The novel is not about the specific conspiracy theory of “Ong’s Hat”, but is more about how information spread online in the 90’s. I was anticipating mystery and local myths, but instead received forums and message boards. I personally still enjoyed the story; the narrator is charismatic and considering the topic, the interviewees are all quite surprisingly level headed.

Initially, I was afraid that the cheesy sound effects would become cringey, but they remained thematically appropriate enough to remain pleasant. Once again, I think potential readers should consider their feelings on podcasts before reading.

[Gilbert Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book positions itself as an account of how the conspiracy theory called Ong’s Hat got started. I suppose it did that but I learned more about Ong’s Hat reading Wikipedia than I did from this book. (Ong’s Hat was a 1990s conspiracy theory about a bunch of scientists who it was said had created a device called “the egg” and used it to visit a parallel earth.) What this book is really about, in my opinion, is how the early internet became a place where people could meet and talk about topics that no one else they knew was interested in. This actually became a breeding ground for conspiracy theories (although many such theories obviously existed before the internet). It’s an interesting book reminding us that the internet used to be a lot more primitive. I had forgotten what it was like in the early days and this brought back some memories. I would read it more for the early internet than for Ong’s Hat.

[Anastasiya M · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly, the execution fell flat for me. One of the most distracting aspects was the constant background music, which felt overbearing and often drowned out the conversation. Instead of enhancing the experience, it pulled me out of the narrative. Additionally, Fennell's tendency to add extra details during interviews was more distracting than informative. Instead of allowing the guests to share their insights, he frequently interrupted with unnecessary commentary that broke the flow of the discussion. This made it hard to fully engage with the content and appreciate the unique perspectives being offered. All in all, this felt like a missed opportunity. The distractions made it difficult to focus on the interesting topics at hand, leaving me frustrated and unsatisfied with the experience.

Read more here: https://annietheinkdrinker.wordpress....

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audio book which feels very like Marc Fennell's podcasts, that totally works for me because I've been listening to his Things the British Stole a lot. This is all about a conspiracy theory. It's a bunch of weird fun - which his way - Ongs Hat is a mystery wrapped in an enigma and has become one of those urban legends that simmer away in the background of the internet. Supposedly, in a forest, in the middle of nowhere in the USA, there is a place that can transport you to another dimension. Supposedly!

Lots of pretty crazy people, lots of seemingly very sane people and a story that had me interested to the end. That's really all I need. I'm also a big fan of Marc Fennell's voice, his skeptical tone is a joy!

[Craig Stewart · Rating 3 out of 5]

This audiobook is a great story, with interesting interviews and information, but the sound effects, especially while driving in a car, make it difficult to praise. If you ask me, it was overproduced with lots of unnecessary background noise and music that obscured the excellent choice of effects such as the static filled voice that reads some posts and the ambiance of New Jersey's Pines.

Audiobooks are generally a KISS kind of format.

[Michael Sanderson-green · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hated this at the beginning but got into it and really enjoyed it as it went along. It’s a great cautionary tale of technology and how it gets out of control. I don’t agree with the concluding statement that we’ve learnt and we will safeguard future technologies because AI is a current example of not doing that .

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating insight into the history of one of the internet’s earliest conspiracy theories, Ong’s Hat, that actually started out as an art project amongst like-minded individuals, before taking on a life of its own.

Marc Fennell is an excellent host who guides the investigation with good research and humour.

[A.M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This Is Not a Game is the extraordinary untold story of the internet’s first conspiracy theory, the legend of Ong’s Hat.

You have got to curate your spaces otherwise your bar ends up being a nazi bar, to use a tumblr story.

Interesting.

I love the cool stuff Marc Fennell comes up with.

4 stars

[KJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had no idea what this was about, didn't even realise it was non fiction haha but was pleasantly surprised.

More podcast than audiobook. It was interesting to delve into something that I've never heard of and was the start of the internet and see how it was affected as it grew and changed over the years.

Glad I picked it up!

"Have you ever heard of a utopia that lasted?"

[Daniel Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and fascinating look into one of the oldest internet conspiracy theories which I hadn't previously heard of and doubt many will have now. Marc's narration and interview style is excellent and injects some poignant points about the internet and culture with humour and disbelief. Well worth a listen although it may leave you wanting more.

[Hung · Rating 4 out of 5]

Go behind the scenes on the creation of the Ong Hat urban legend. Unfortunately, learning about how the sausage was made is not as tasty as eating the sausage.

I would probably enjoy spending more time hearing from the believers to understand the extent of their delusion, but that would not be demonstrating professional journalism.

[Yasmin-marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh I enjoyed this one more than I expected. It was quirky and a little bit creepy. This was podcast style, it definitely piqued my interest to research more into Ong’s hat. Loved the evolution of the internet and 90s vibe to this.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I downloaded this as I was out of credits on audible and it was the recommendation of the month.
It was animated, interviews, lots of background noise - like listening to radio or a YouTube video. Not what I thought it was but look was interesting.

[Abstract Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and interesting

For someone who wasn’t aware of the Ongs Hat phenomenon - this was a fab listen just for that. And then the deeper message here - about the history of conspiracy, of the internet, the consequences. An interesting and engaging piece.

[Ursula Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a tale about a fiction created during the early days of the Internet, that was a precursor for aspects of the Internet now. A man and his friends create a game. While the legend grows, not everyone knows it’s a game. Then the conspiracy folks get wind of it.

[Janelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was SO fascinating! I love early internet lore and creepypastas, so I enjoyed every second of learning about Ong’s Hat.

This is presented in a podcast format (it’s basically like The Expanse/Unravel from the ABC but an Audible Original) and it was so engaging and gripping. Def keen to listen to more like these!

Now I wanna go to the Pine Barrens 👀

[Kerrie Owen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would have to be the oddest audiobook I’ve ever listened to. I’m still unsure if I liked it (the premise was kind of okay) or not (it was at least short, but it was odd).

[Bec’s Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed a trip down memory lane to the internet of the 90’s. This short doco book kept me interested.

[Nathan Falky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine.
Nothing groundbreaking.
I enjoyed the early internet history and some fun stories from some of the people interviewed.
Pacing and through line was a bit all over the place though.

[Alyssa Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the guys sounded like a coworker and I was so distracted 😂

[Paul Sating · Rating 3 out of 5]

Landed way too heavily on post-production. Not much in the way of story. Shame. Was looking forward to it.

[Kellie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I miss the old internet!

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting, but it jumped around a lot.

[Lise · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not what I expected, but ended up being pretty interesting and engaging.