2008 Woodie Awards
Online game 'plays out' like real world
Terri Schwartz
Issue date: 3/17/08 Section: The Inside
"Entropia Universe" is an average online game with one major difference: The currency in the game is transferrable to dollars, which gives the player a chance to gain, or lose, real money.
"Entropia" is what is known as an MMORPG, or a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. Other similar games are "World of Warcraft" and "Everquest." Unlike other games, however, "Entropia" is free to download and requires no monthly subscription fee.
"Entropia" uses a currency called PEDs, or Project Entropia Dollars. Every one dollar can be exchanged through the game's "Real Cash Economy" for 10 PEDs.
"You need PEDs to do everything in this game," said a player who goes by the alias Messiah Crimson. Messiah, who was interviewed online while playing the game, said he is a London Medical Student, but did not feel comfortable revealing his real name.
John Bates, the North American representative for "Entropia Universe," said the game is not meant to generate enough income to sustain a living.
"We are not saying that everyone that comes here is going to make money," he said. "Most people play this game for entertainment. It's like a hobby."
Bates said "Entropia Universe" was made and meant to feel like the real world. While the concept of the game is fantasy-esque, the economic and social feel behind the game is real.
"This is going to change the face of gaming," Bates said. "It's going to change how people spend their time in a game."
Researchers and parents often complain that gamers spend too much time playing video games instead of being a part of "the real world."
"There is something wrong when a guy who works at Best Buy can only think the whole time of how much he wants to go home and play [a video game]," Bates said. "It's not that there is something wrong with the gamers, it is that there's something that needs to be fixed with the real world."
"Entropia" tries to help its players experience the best sense of virtual reality while playing an online role-playing game.
"Entropia" is what is known as an MMORPG, or a Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. Other similar games are "World of Warcraft" and "Everquest." Unlike other games, however, "Entropia" is free to download and requires no monthly subscription fee.
"Entropia" uses a currency called PEDs, or Project Entropia Dollars. Every one dollar can be exchanged through the game's "Real Cash Economy" for 10 PEDs.
"You need PEDs to do everything in this game," said a player who goes by the alias Messiah Crimson. Messiah, who was interviewed online while playing the game, said he is a London Medical Student, but did not feel comfortable revealing his real name.
John Bates, the North American representative for "Entropia Universe," said the game is not meant to generate enough income to sustain a living.
"We are not saying that everyone that comes here is going to make money," he said. "Most people play this game for entertainment. It's like a hobby."
Bates said "Entropia Universe" was made and meant to feel like the real world. While the concept of the game is fantasy-esque, the economic and social feel behind the game is real.
"This is going to change the face of gaming," Bates said. "It's going to change how people spend their time in a game."
Researchers and parents often complain that gamers spend too much time playing video games instead of being a part of "the real world."
"There is something wrong when a guy who works at Best Buy can only think the whole time of how much he wants to go home and play [a video game]," Bates said. "It's not that there is something wrong with the gamers, it is that there's something that needs to be fixed with the real world."
"Entropia" tries to help its players experience the best sense of virtual reality while playing an online role-playing game.
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