My secret shame is massively multiplayer games. There is something about real interaction in a game with a huge amount of actual people that I like. Hours have been spent making characters in City of Heroes specifically to get reactions from people. It’s exhibitionism of sorts with a safety net.

It’s a fact that MMORPGs starring elves, monsters, and the like have been the most popular. Everquest, Ultima Online, and World of Warcraft have all reached great heights in popularity. But I’ve always wanted more.

A few years back I was excited about World War II Online. It is a massively multiplayer game where you battle through World War II as a soldier. Big battles would take place, the front line would be pushed forward or fall back. It sounded like it could be fantastic. Granted, I haven’t heard anything good about it, but the idea was great.

There is another MMORPG coming out next year that has got me all excited. It is called Seed and it looks to be a different kind of MMORPG. Here are a few of the points I find particularly interesting about it.

Use your intellect rather than your brawn.
“By trading in weapons for wit, we’ve truly created a simulated society and developed a game that engages you on an entirely different level than any MMG before,” said Lars Kroll, CEO of Runestone. “We have really taken the simulated society idea a big step further, where players can ascend to great political heights within the Seed world, but only if NPCs and players alike allow it through a robust democratic system.”

Decide the fate of the colony.
“Seed is built as an evolving game world, and expanding the game world is an integrated part of the Seed design,” explained Kroll. “When Seed launches, the players find themselves in a colony on the distant planet Da Vinci. The terraforming process has ground to a halt, the space elevator to the orbiting space station has broken, and contact with Earth was ended long ago. What happens from there will entirely depend on the choices of the players. Should the terraforming process be restarted at all cost, or is it wiser to admit defeat and use the limited resources to extend the living areas of the tower? Is contact with Earth all-important or unimportant? The players will decide, all the while permanently shaping the environment around them, voting in their leaders and working together as they choose.

This seems to be quite a change from your average MMORPG. Working together in a society for common goals? Call me stupid if you will, but this sounds like a lot of fun. The game feels like it has a real sense of personal ownership and responsibility in the gameplay. Your actions actually matter. You and the people around you are creating a living and breathing environment.

The beta sign up is in January. Make sure to check the website at www.seedthegame.com for more information on the beta and the game itself.

EDIT - The site doesn’t like to work well with Firefox for some reason. Use IE. You heard me.

EDIT EDIT - The site doesn’t seem to like any browser. So…be prepared for frustration.