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 currently resides in Los Angeles, CA. He is probably best known for the avant-garde work, Ong's Hat, which has been called the proto-Alternate Reality Game by academia,[1] the mainstream and alternative media[3] and Ong's Hat is often cited as the first ARGs on many List of alternate reality games.