Vacant spaces find life
Accelerate the revitalization of areas and properties
With Alternate Reality Games we find the right people for your properties. They get to live their dream life where you offer it.
Long-term growth starts here
Cities are bursting at the seams while rural areas are struggling with decline. And modern professionals are caught in the middle. Often, they work remote, are unbound by geography and can’t afford suitable urban housing. While they are searching for more, high-potential areas cannot seem to reach them.
Quality of life and ability to attract talent is becoming a potentially positive differentiator for the rural heartlands in the EU and US
So what would happen if we tell you that we can match these groups? We search, attract, qualify, deliver potential residents who share community values and who are willing to contribute. They bring their income, job, or business and are ready to relocate.
Accelerate your growth
Find the right people faster
Transform the entire area
Grow a long term community
Accelerate growth in urban areas
In the heart of our rapidly growing cities, many districts face the risk of stagnation and social fragmentation. Domain5 views these underserved urban areas not as problems, but as canvases for revitalization. By deploying Alternate Reality Games, we help transform distressed neighborhoods into vibrant and affordable destinations. Our approach goes beyond esthetic improvements; we cultivate deep-rooted community ties and elevate the standard of living. Through immersive storytelling, we invite a diverse audience to participate in the rebirth of a district, turning forgotten streets into a thriving, connected community where both residents and newcomers feel a sense of belonging.
Accelerate growth in rural areas
Demographic shifts present complex challenges, ranging from urban overcrowding to the decline of rural vitality. Domain5 utilizes Alternate Reality Games (ARG) as a strategic tool to restore this balance.
Where a region shows untapped potential but lacks engagement with the right audience, we create immersive experiences that stimulate people—both emotionally and physically – to migrate from one place to the other. An ARG is more than just a game; it is a catalyst for place-branding that activates the right pioneers to structurally revitalize the area and breathe new life into its landscape. By bringing purchase power and new elan.
Note: we do not aim for pensionado’s or ‘second homers’.
What to expect from us?
We help search, attract, qualify and deliver people who fit your property and area. People aim for the sense of being part of something bigger and are willing to build a community together and in close cooperation with local residents. The ‘newcomers’ have specific qualities to help realize the dreams of the area.
Search
We search for remote-working professionals with a business or job, looking for a more fitting and affordable live/work environment to relocate. We match them with a suitable living area.
Attract
We use various media and targeted storytelling to keep the ‘players’ in the Alternate Reality Game (ARG), emphasizing shared values and a long-term vision. During their journey (often non-linear), they ‘interact’ with other players and locals.
Qualify
Candidates qualify on their values and relocation readiness. While playing the ARG, they start-off building their social network with future neighbors before they move, which increases commitment.
Deliver
We introduce and deliver a vetted list of highly committed, community-ready prospects to our partners (owners / municipalities) for final leasing or sales contracts.
What is an Alternate Reality Game?
An Alternate Reality Game (ARG) is an immersive narrative that uses the real world as its platform. Unlike traditional gaming, an ARG does not happen behind a screen; it unfolds across physical locations, digital channels, and social interactions. Sometimes even offline. At Domain5, we leverage this storytelling power to bridge the gap between vacant real estate and vibrant communities.
Discovery through narrative
We craft a bespoke mystery or quest that leads participants directly to the site and its locals. And to other participants. The property is no longer just a building or site; it becomes a key landmark in a larger story.
Active Engagement
Potential residents, investors, and locals don’t just ‘view’ a property, they experience it. By solving puzzles and challenges and reaching milestones on-site, they form an immediate emotional connection with the location.
Community pre-shaping
Before the first brick is laid or the renovation is complete, we have already gathered a group of engaged pioneers. The game acts as a social filter, attracting people who are invested in the future of the area.
Sustainable Revitalization
By the time the game concludes, the ‘cold’ real estate has been transformed into a ‘hot’ destination with a proven audience, ready for its next chapter.
Validation of our methodology
Our approach is recognized for its potential by leading institutions in innovation, security, and urban planning, including TNO, the Ministry of Defence (the Netherlands), and the City of Detroit.
How is an ARG different from a marketing campaign?
While a traditional marketing campaign focuses on sending a message to a passive audience, an Alternate Reality Game (ARG) invites participants/players to become active co-creators of the story. Marketing often relies on brief impressions and temporary visibility through ads and slogans. In contrast, an ARG builds deep, sustained engagement by turning the audience into players who must investigate, collaborate, and physically visit locations to unlock the next chapter of the narrative.
The fundamental difference lies in the ‘sense of agency.’ In a standard campaign, the property is a product being sold. In an ARG, the property is an immersive environment where the community is already being formed. By replacing traditional persuasion with a journey of discovery, we create an emotional bond with the real estate that goes far beyond brand awareness, resulting in a community that is genuinely aiming for long-term success of revitalization.
Our ARG’s are scalable to a large extent.
Long-term benefits
Build strong communities
The ARG is designed to attract certain types of people (profiles). With values/criteria defined by you and skills or jobs needed in the community. Think doctors, specific business owners, care sector, etc. Additionally, these people interact with locals while playing the ARG = key to the success of the community.
Grow the local economy
All candidates possess proven income. They either have a job, often with the possibility to work remote or they run a business. This way all candidates (and their partners) bring external wealth and expertise to the area. Providing immediate economic stimulus, of purchase power, new consumers – think of the new and young families to raise – and job creation. Which will accelerate on the long-term.
Enhance property value
More high potential residents, mean a better economy, and higher property value. We attract high potential residents 3x faster (conversion rates) than traditional methods. Since all potential residents are vetted, chances are high that they actually make the move to buy a property (rather than lease) ánd stay in the long-run.
Public and private entities profit
Both aim for revitalisation of their areas and assets, or for accelaration of this process. Sometimes working through a Public-Private Partnership.
Real estate owners and developers
Seeking to de-risk investments in non-prime locations and secure long-term, high-quality tenancy/buyers.
Local authorities
Tasked with reversing population decline, sustaining local services, stimulating economic growth and improve regional attractiveness.
(Regional-) investment funds
Looking for de-risked opportunities to invest in revitalizing regional assets with proven community backing.
James de Booij, Founder Domain5
Small team, big dreams
At Domain5, we believe your environment is the foundation of your dream life. We aim to bridge the gap between remote professionals seeking affordable, high-quality housing and vibrant regions in need of revitalization. By connecting the right people with the right places before they move, we create thriving communities. For our partners, this results in deeply motivated residents who drive property value and contribute meaningfully to their new domain.
Binckhorstlaan 36-M3 49
2516BE The Hague
The Netherlands
Get in touch
Ready to accelerate the growth of your area and property?
Questions you might have
What kind of budgets are we talking?
There is no off-the-shelf solution for your challenge. Meaning we will customize the ARG specifically to target your challenge. Budgets start at €250K. But this means absolutely nothing unless we know your situation and you understand what the ARG-solution can do for you.
How long does an average ARG run?
ARG’s for revitalizing areas can run for years. During these years we adapt the narrative to target the right people. Which can vary through time. Think of changing circumstances, fresh data, sometimes even cultural patterns. This is what makes the ARG so effective. It’s not a standard solution, because your challenge is not standard.
How do I know if an ARG is the right solution for my challenge?
This depends on a number of criteria. Does the target area have evident or ‘dormant’ potential? Including ample available vacant spaces to buy, lease or to rehab. Prices are a dominant driver to leave a – often expensive – city environment. Affordability is the word here. As is a tranquil environment with an inviting nature for hiking & fitness. Is key infrastructure in place, like school(s), basic hospitality, care and police services, EV charging, fiber optics and high-speed internet? On site or in the surrounding region. Are the local residents open to newcomers, does the local authority provide/organise a welcome mat? Typically, but not an iron law, a rural small town or an urban neighbourhood with a population of >3.000. Also, a shared ambition by parties to expand could be a differentiator for investment funds, developers.
Is the solution scalable?
Yes it is! Once the ARG is designed and built for a specific target group or category, an endless amount of people can play the game. This makes it extremely scalable and easy to access large amounts of people across the world.
To make this work, you need an International network. Can you help me with this?
We have a valuable international network. We’re discussing revitalisation challenges in France, Germany, Italy and Norway. We have ‘in-house’ native counselors in place in France, Italy and Germany to support our management team and help us navigate through local cultural and regulatory arena’s
Note: at this point in time we discuss our services with a variety of parties and organisations, including the EC Rural Pact (Brussels)
What is the role of local residents?
Local residents can be involved in the development and excecution of the ARG. We are able to involve locals from the start in the research and ideation phases of development. Involving the local residents can be a big boon to the success factor of a game. During the game, they can interact with the participants. This way both participants and locals start to bond, before the participants become residents. This is also imperative to prevent – often messy – gentrification effects that tend to disrupt local social tissue.
Can an ARG only be deployed for shrinking areas with a population decline?
No, certainly not. Some areas and towns are thriving well and aspire to accelerate their growth and simply do not want to follow an incremental rhythm. They want to grab the momentum.
Does Domain5 work with other organizations that supply scientific data we need?
We try as much as we can. Data-driven expertise is mandatory. For migration patterns and – behavior, for demographics and income categories we are in touch with NIDI (Netherlands), INED (France), Politecnico di Milano (ITA), Premium_EU, Heartland Forward Foundation (US), and others.
What happens with personal data in ARG traffic (GDPR requirements)?
At the outset of the ARG we inform the player on the purpose of the game and ask for authorization to use the data solely during the running of the game. In this sense our ARG is GDPR compliant. Third-party risk will be managed and monitored continuously.
There’s a lot of digital use to mobilize people to show up someplace, how do you keep them?
This pattern is one of the biggest traps of modern organizing: digital tools make it easy to mobilize crowds, but much harder to create the relational depth that sustains a movement. They show up. And then they go away. And nothing gets built. In an ARG it’s the building part by a joint community effort that is really where the power is.