eGenesis’ Andrew Tepper is a bit disappointed with today’s online gambling, apparently, and wants to change this by making it all a bit more social and MMO-like:
The first thing that stuck me about online gambling today is that it’s a pretty lonely experience, typically one player in a web browser, watching a 2D slot machine. I’ve taken what I’ve learned in the last 15 years building MMORPGs and for the first time applied that to gambling. I’ve created an intensely social world where players can explore the game world together, share techniques, and rely on each other as they level up by completing gambling quests.
To that end, eGenesis is now working on Dragon’s Tale – a game that combines real-money gambling with MMO elements. There’s a tournament system, a mentor/student system, and “a form of player-controlled governance” which will apparently seem familiar to those who played the studio’s previous title A Tale in the Desert. Oh, and it uses Bitcoins as chips.
As to the gambling itself – welp, there are apparently 60 games so far with new ones regularly added. Half are luck-based, and half are skill-based, and they all offer some sort of unique experience. Catching fish, feeding ducks, tipping cows, running monkeys through mazes, and hunting for Dragon’s Eggs are all mentioned, which sounds a little bit different to a browser-based slot machine.
It sounds like you won‘t have to gamble if you don’t want to, but it’s hard to say for sure – the press release notes that “for those that wish to gamble [Dragon’s Tale] supports Bitcoins and credit cards,” which implies that there’s another option. Either way, there will apparently be a free trial, and beta testing will begin on Friday 12 July. You can check out the official site here.
It’s an interesting concept, but I admit I’m curious as to whether there are any legal ramifications they haven’t considered. Online gambling is a bit weird, legally speaking.
