i’ve been keeping an eye on this since it first showed up on radar… mostly trying to determine if i really thought it was going to get off the ground.
i’ve decided it is, and so now, am willing to actually talk about it.
metaplace (http://www.metaplace.com/) is raph koster’s latest venture in online worlds/mmos. but this one is taking the best of virtual playgrounds and player content and combining it with the traditional mmo and allowing users/players to create/host/manage their own worlds.
needless to say, i’m psyched, stoked, and all kinds of excited.
i remember very clearly when it became apparent that the traditional industry players were NEVER going to admit there could be a time when giving users/players ownership would be a good thing. i suspect their legal departments just can’t function with the thought.
and i remember when i left star wars galaxies with a sigh for how they essentially subverted the social order in the game.
and i remember many conversations with friends in second life about what was missing. and why. and why it likely would not be changing with the folks at linden more interested in control than creative liberty.
metaplace seems to be taking the best of the virtual playgrounds (e.g., sims, there, second life, etc.) and looking to combine it with the more common elements of the mmo gaming genre. make your own worlds, your own game mechanics, your own content/assets, and bring your friends or associates to enjoy them.
it’s an amazingly forward thinking effort, par for the course for koster, frankly. i’ve always both admired and fretted for the fellow. being a social idealist in a gruelling industry like this one (gaming) is hardly a recipe for much more than a perpetually frustrated life.
http://www.techcrunch40.com/2007/presenter.php?presenter=37 (video overview)
i registered for the alpha, but alas, was not chosen. checked back on it today and see their forums are up and running. the many outlines and mechanics i’ve been drafting over my 18+ years of gaming are going to be put to serious use when metaplace opens. i suspect it will be my best chance to develop the game i’ve been designing in my head for the last 15 years or so.
and you know what? i’m betting with something like this to support it, it will actually be amazing.
it’s nice to have this to look forward to… thanks, raph, for being stubborn and keeping the faith. 🙂