Braindump

MMO BBQ?

We decided what we needed to build was not a game, but a playground,” he says. “It’s very much about virtual worlds, user-generated content and social networking.”

Yoick wants to “mash-up” the endearing qualities of successful internet ventures: the addictiveness and visual richness of World of Warcraft, the personal expression of MySpace and the mobility of internet phone service Skype.

Outback Online – prospective new Second Life?

It sounds a little too good to be true. I can only hope for a rename.

Gaia Online – At Least I Have a Steampunky Avatar

My Gaia Online avatar.

GO seems to be a grown-up Neopets kind of world, in an anime flavour. I was obsessesed with Neopets when I was younger. Okay, not that much younger. Anyway, I just couldn’t get into GO with the same enthusiasm. In principle it’s the same thing – spend your time accumulating virtual money to buy virtual toons virtual possessions – but in practice GO left me a cold. Maybe I just respond better to cute little animals than manga girls.

There’s a clunky 2D real-time village thingy which is kinda neat, and they’d just implemented something with cars, doing up cars and racing cars (presumably to get in more of those 16-25 year old boys), but overall, after spending a decent chunk of my days trying to catch fish so I can afford those cat ears, I was left bored. Next please.