Virtual world fits on a smartphone

It will soon be possible to inhabit a virtual world, even while out and about in the real one, according to New Scientist.

"US computer game company Artificial Life has announced that it will launch a massively multiplayer online role-playing game for third generation phones before the end of 2005.

Currently untitled, the game will let players assume a virtual persona and travel through a futuristic cityscape, the company says. They will be able to chat and interact with computer-controlled characters as well as other human players and tackle puzzles that can be solved more easily through cooperation.

... Such a futuristic mobile game was recently developed by researchers at the University of Singapore. They built a version of the classic arcade game Pac-Man with 3D graphics superimposed over real city streets.

In the meantime, Artificial Life hopes its mobile multiplayer game will provide a popular way of meeting new people and even perhaps a novel dating tool.

"The future for mobile entertainment and games lies in this kind of sophisticated, massive multi-player games," says CEO of Artificial Life, Eberhard Schoenebur. "This is what the 3G mobile carriers need to attract customers."

emily | 4:00 PM | SMS and Gaming |
The Permanent Link to this page is: http://www.textually.org/textually/archives/2005/08/009627.htm

Tweet