This Is Not a Game with Marc Fennell cover art

This Is Not a Game with Marc Fennell

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This Is Not a Game with Marc Fennell

By: Marc Fennell
Narrated by: Marc Fennell
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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

©2024 Marc Fennell (P)2024 BBC Studios Productions Ltd. History History & Culture Media Studies Social Sciences True Crime
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About the Creator and Performer

Marc Fennell is a Walkley Award-winning journalist, presenter, and documentary maker. A seven-time medalist at the New York Festivals TV and Radio Awards, Marc has been nominated twice for Europe’s prestigious Rose d’Or. He is a recipient of America’s coveted James Beard Foundation Award, an Asian Creative Academy National Award, and Webby Award Honors. The Times (UK) has called Marc the "cheerful Aussie version of Louis Theroux."
Marc is the creator of the popular, award-winning television series and podcast  Stuff the British Stole  for ABC Australia and CBC Canada. He is also seen each weeknight as the quizmaster of SBS TV’s (Australia) iconic game show Mastermind.
Marc has fronted groundbreaking docs like the Logie & AACTA nominated School That Tried to End Racism (ABC 2021), The Kingdom (SBS 2023), The Mission (SBS 2023), Rose d’Or shortlisted art-heist docuseries Framed (SBS 2021), as well as the hit Audible Original Podcasts It Burns (2019), Nut Jobs (2020), and House of Skulls (2023).
Marc is the dad of two kids and lives in Sydney, Australia.

All stars
Most relevant
Super interesting story to know about how Internet conspiracies started and how much they have or haven't changed

Great story

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Like other reviewers I hadn't ever heard of the original, but I am familiar with the setting, tech etc. However you wouldn't need to be to have your thoughts provoked by this. Great audio production, good humour and fact checking. If you're someone who might have used the internet in the 90s, or arrived at early 2000s, and remember how things were before web 2.0 and social media, you'll enjoy the insight and nostalgia.

A Great Audio Yarn

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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.

Very enjoyable and interesting

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