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Massively exclusive: Inside the mind of Mind Candy's Michael Smith
I recently had the opportunity to sit down and spend some quality time with the CEO of Mind Candy, Michael Smith. I picked his brain about Mind Candy's newest game, Moshi Monsters, how they're going to attract and protect the kids that play it, and what some of Michael's favorite past-time activities are. Plus, we even discussed a little background on Perplex City, and the status of the anticipated alternate reality game, Perplex City Season 2. Interested in what goes on in the mind of one of Britain's most innovative game developers? Read on after the break and find out!
Moshi Monsters
Moshi Monsters is a new virtual world by MindCandy, the folks behind Perplex City. It appears to be a cross between MySpace and a Tamagotchi, with minigames thrown into the mix. It's got bright colors, it's got cute sound effects, and it's got monsters. And it's frankly adorable. Of course, it is aimed at kids, and there's a clear mandate by the creators to provide a safe experience, so parents need not worry.One of the features touted by the preview video is that of buying things for your monster to keep it happy. If this isn't a clear indication that the concerns mentioned in this post are valid, then I don't know what is. Surely there could be better ways to provide the things your monster needs? Couldn't you grow its food, make its toys? I'm sure one could argue that running a virtual world this way teaches kids the importance of managing money, but there are better ways to do that without making it part and parcel of playtime, which in all other respects is completely whimsical and fantastical. Still, I'm a big fan of monsters. While Moshi Monsters is still in beta, I'm looking forward to seeing more of how it all works together.
Is Perplex City over? Writing staff leaves Mind Candy
If you were a fan of alternate-reality game Perplex City, which finished its first season earlier this year, we regret to inform you that Season 2 has been unofficially canned. The writing staff has moved on due to some internal issues with the game's developer Mind Candy. Adrian Hon, the lead designer of Perplex City, writes, "In particular at Mind Candy, there's the Story Team: Andrea, David, Jey and Naomi, all of whom are also moving on to different places and projects."Hon doesn't explain in detail what happened, but it looks like the brains at Mind Candy have left the building. The next season of Perplex City was to start in June and Hon even says that the puzzle cards for the season are at the offices. Hon goes on to say that he's not at "liberty" to say what went wrong, but says fans of the series should feel free to email him. With any luck, Hon and some of the crew will move on to a company that they can work with on another ARG.[Via Wonderland]
SXSW: ARG! The Attack of the Alternate Reality Games
Ever since the success of The Beast, the alternate reality game created to help pimp Spielberg's A.I. back in 2001, alternate reality games (ARGs) have been popping up left and right, most notably the I Love Bees ARG that was used to launch Halo 2. Based on what the panelists were telling us, there are a lot more coming down the pipeline.However, one of the problems was that the panel promised to help define the term "alternate reality game," but that never happened. Wikipedia calls it "an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform, often involving multiple media and game elements, to tell a story that may be affected by participants' ideas or actions." Which is quite a mouthful. But that makes us wonder, does it have to use the web as a medium to be an ARG? When people used to play T.A.G. or Killer on college campuses, that was definitely an ARG ... but where did those games go?
Perplex City: Receda Cube unearthed, Season 2 planned
Amateur archaeologist Andy Darley has discovered the Receda Cube, ending the first season of alternate reality game Perplex City and earning a hefty $200,000 reward (before taxes). Darley was joined by more than 50,000 other registered players, spread throughout 92 countries, on the two-year hunt. The cube was unearthed in Wakerley Great Wood, England, about 110 miles north of London.Perplex City's first season was "played" using a deck of cards (collectible in packs) that featured various types of puzzles, from simple trivia to optical illusions; to an answer masked with heat-sensitive ink. Solutions often pointed players to further clues posted on websites, written in books, recorded in voicemails, and held by real-world individuals. Creator Mind Candy has confirmed that plans for a second season are underway.
Gamers, flash mobs, and London -- the Perplex City Academy Games
Gamers in London enjoying an afternoon at the Trocadero may have seen a strange sight yesterday: every fifteen minutes, groups of people wearing stickers were escorted by wardens in matching t-shirts towards a DDR, Daytona or Guitar Freaks machine. While some members of the stickered teams competed at these games, others huddled around maps mumbling about Trafalgar Square or the National Gallery, pulling out beeping phones every few minutes and hurriedly composing messages.This wasn't some strange terrorist activity--instead, it was the live counterpart to a long-running alternate reality game, a day of challenges which saw over two hundred people navigating around London armed with little more than a question sheet and a mobile phone. Alternate reality gaming exists in the overlap between video games, traditional puzzles and live-action roleplay; it reached the attention of gamers in 2004 with the I Love Bees promotional ARG for Halo 2, followed by another for GUN, Last Call Poker.
Perplex City gets live and interactive
ARGs overlap with the real world in many ways, not restricting themselves to a website or two to engage players totally. We've seen an increase in live-action ARG events recently, with Last Call Poker featuring regular Tombstone Hold'em sessions. Perplex City also entered the fray with a live event last year, but has been fairly quiet since then.Fortunately for those who missed it, there are two more Perplex City live events coming up in February, in both London and New York. The London event is billed as the "largest, smartest and most sophisticated live action urban game", and sounds like something not to be missed. We've taken part in similar live-action puzzle events before, and they are exhilarating, exhausting and brain-twisting--a cross between The Crystal Maze, Stanford's The Game, LARP and scavenger hunts, puzzle solving under pressure is worth a try if you're new to the idea.[via Wonderland]
