Track this topic | Email this topic | Print this topic

http://www.bluesnews.com/s/132806

Someone posted this in chat last week during E3, I believe it was Neal. It grabbed my attention right away, because I love this kind of metagaming. Essentially, Peter Molyneux' company is creating a pseudogame called "Curiosity," which is essentially an MMO with no real game behind it. Every player sees a cube, and they click on it to try to chip away and open it up - the player who finally gets it open gets to learn the secret of the game, and then do with that secret whatever they please. Players can even pay for the ability to buy tools that will chip at the cube more efficiently, from cheap and simple tools to one that costs $50k.

The goal of the game is twofold: first, it's to see the psychological thought process that goes on once someone (or a cabal of someones) know the secret, and how or even if that secret disseminates through the internet and even the world at large; second, it's to see and gauge the reaction towards the paid "DLC," and which tools people are willing to buy in an effort to become the person that knows the secret.

To me, this kind of non-game is actually one of the most interesting things going in gaming right now. It's like a Cow Clicker with higher stakes, but those stakes still really are worth absolutely nothing unless they have value to the people looking to win them. It's less a game and more a psychological experiment, and while I myself would never consider spending any money on it, I kind of can't wait to see what comes from it.

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

Oh gosh now you have me clicking cows.

--------------------

Check the "What games are you playing at the moment?" thread for updates on what I've been playing.

You can find me on the Fediverse! I use Mastodon, where I am @[email protected] ( https://sakurajima.moe/@glennmagusharvey )

First of all, I'd like to say I absolutely loved the game Populous, which it says the same guy made. Second of all, I think this is absolutely brilliant, and it makes for one hell of a social experiment. Naturally, I don't plan on participating, but I suspect that not only will the 50k item be bought, but that the internet at large will know the secret not long after it's disseminated, thus making said 50k chisel totally worthless.

--------------------

If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

Quote (MogMaster @ 11th July 2012 09:52)

First of all, I'd like to say I absolutely loved the game Populous, which it says the same guy made. Second of all, I think this is absolutely brilliant, and it makes for one hell of a social experiment. Naturally, I don't plan on participating, but I suspect that not only will the 50k item be bought, but that the internet at large will know the secret not long after it's disseminated, thus making said 50k chisel totally worthless.

Molyneux first rose with Populous, yeah, which was a fantastic game. He's done a lot since, of course.

I agree with your assessment except for one thing - I think that the person or people who spend the $50k will make sure everyone knows it as well as the secret, whether they are the ones who actually first crack it or not. People will be curious to know the hidden message or whatnot, but they'll be almost as curious to find out who dropped the cash. I think the dissemination of the two bits of information will be pretty well linked.

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

When you break it open, it's probably just the name of whoever bought the $50,000 pick. If no one bought it, then it just gives you a Steam key for Fable 3.

--------------------

moé in the streets, senpai in the sheets

I am catching up on back issues of Wired still, and I found today this great article not just about this game but about why Molyneux (and his Twitter Deanelchanger, @Molydeux) is the only person who could have come up with this. Towards the end, it also has some details about how the game will work that I hadn't seen before.

http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2012/10/ff-peter-molyneux/all/

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

I really hate this idea. Molyneux needs to remove his head from his own anus, and I swear to God if the person who sees the secret doesn't post it online I will personally lock them in a cube

Edit: No.. I don't mean to be personally insulting towards the man, he's actually a force for good, It's just I really have an axe to grind with the exclusivity factor in that new game.

This post has been edited by Blinge Odonata on 30th November 2012 21:26

--------------------

www.youtube.com/blinje
The victor sacrificed the vanquished to the heavens

Quote (Blinge Odonata @ 30th November 2012 17:16)

I really hate this idea. Molyneux needs to remove his head from his own anus, and I swear to God if the person who sees the secret doesn't post it online I will personally lock them in a cube

Edit: No.. I don't mean to be personally insulting towards the man, he's actually a force for good, It's just I really have an axe to grind with the exclusivity factor in that new game.

You communist.

If nobody is excluded, what fun is spending 50000 monies?

This post has been edited by MogMaster on 3rd December 2012 05:34

--------------------

If you've been mod-o-fied,
It's an illusion, and you're in-between.
Don't you be tarot-fied,
It's just alot of nothing, so what can it mean?
~Frank Zappa

Sins exist only for people who are on the Way or approaching the Way

So, uh, apparently this game's actually been out since the start of November. Did anyone get it and try it? I might well do so later today.

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

So.. It's old news but the secret is out. Thoughts?

--------------------

www.youtube.com/blinje
The victor sacrificed the vanquished to the heavens

Well, I can put it like this: I'd stopped caring so much that even though I knew someone got to the middle, I never bothered going to find out what it was. Maybe I will now.

I did in fact download it for my iPhone. Maybe "played" it twice.

--------------------

"To create something great, you need the means to make a lot of really bad crap." - Kevin Kelly

Why aren't you shopping AmaCoN?

That is actually a really cool experiment. I have been very interested in psychology of late, so I must say that this interested me greatly.

I randomly happened to stumble upon an article regarding the outcome of this game and the secret surprise contained for the winner. The outcome appears to be...underwhelming at best, insulting and shameful at worst if you fell for the hype.

If anyone still cares (or maybe everyone already read up on this and I am late to the party), here's a bit of a followup to this now 5-year old story.