Justin Hall and Merci Hammon's networked browser-game PMOG (Passively Multiplayer Online Game) just launched after a solid beta period. The idea is to encourage people to be more adventurous and smarter when they browse the web, by awarding points for different kinds of Internet activity (for example, awarding bonuses for looking at Wikipedia history pages, comparing search results across different engines, or installing Firefox). The networked play also allows players to create their own missions and quests, and to lay traps for other players. All in all, it's great fun, and a genuinely novel way at looking at Internet literacy.
Justin sez,
PMOG is a steamy Victorian metagame about being online. The game gives its players tools to leave treasure or traps on any website, and to make guided web missions for other players. PMOG stands for Passively Multiplayer Online Game, which means you earn resources and unlock rewards just by surfing. Players in PMOG can hide the game, pause the game, or erase their histories at any time; we encourage people to experiment with and take control of their data trails. PMOG is the first MMO in Firefox , a 220k extension to enhance your browsing pleasure. PMOG players who regularly read BoingBoing get a "Bounce Bounce" badge
(Thanks, Justin!)
(Disclosure: I am proud to serve on PMOG's advisory board)
