PMOG, a multiplayer online game (MOG) that lets users accumulate points while passively surfing the web and then use those points to help or hurt their fellow players, launched out of private beta this morning. We first covered PMOG back in February.
To play PMOG you need to install a Firefox add-on that lets you interact with other users asynchronously on websites you visit. You spend points accumulated by surfing the web on things like mines, which you leave on websites and explode when the next player visits the site. Points are deducted for tripping a mine unless the player has spent points on armor. Other users can also attach “St Nicks” to users who leave a lot of mines, which causes their next mine not to work.
I spent most of my time and points leaving mines all over the web, and then suggesting that founder Justin Hall to go to those sites. For some reason I never got tired of this. But other players create various missions that direct users, in a StumbleUpon fashion, to topic-specific sites.
PMOG has about 15,000 users and the company that created it, GameLayers, says they are ready to open up to everyone that wants to play. The video below give a short tour of the service. More information on their CrunchBase profile.
From your description it looks like mines can be left on any webpage on the web. What is the significance of myspace in the post title?
The mines explode only for your friends or anyone who visits these pages? How does the script identify friends?
I’m a little worried by the phrase in the video, “Watch your character profile change to reflect who you are online.” Just how much information are they collecting about their users through the FF plugin?
Binaryday: mines can be left on any webpage, but it’s particularly irritating “quasi-griefing” behavior if someone leaves them on your personal homepage. the mines explode for anyone with their toolbar (a firefox extension) turned on.
Chris: your character profile is not determined by what pages you visit, but rather by whether you tend to make missions, leave mines, leave st nicks, leave crates full of gifts, etc.
Having some company track every web page I visit in exchange for “points” does sound like fun. Now if there was only a game that would track every purchase I made, that would be _really_ fun.
Maybe I’m cynical but “missions” sound like a source of traffic boosting schemes. Need more traffic? Buy a mission.
Sorry, but I think I’m going to have to pass on this one.
@Brent,
Just an FYI: Every mission on PMOG is player created. The only traffic it would be boosting is traffic to sites other players have wanted to include in their mission.
@Brent — that’s why I use Safari for the important stuff, and PMOG-enhanced FireFox for fun
Interestingly, the Missions appear to be the compelling bit. People can (and some even do!) create missions taking you interesting places, or showing several pages of (say) a webcomic to show _why_ it’s a good webcomic. And once you’ve done a mission on a particular topic, you get to see other missions on the same topic; and they’re rated, so you can get an idea of whether a mission is worth it, etc., etc.
Ok, so I misunderstood where missions came from. But that still doesn’t mean a player can’t create missions for the purpose of traffic boosting. I still can see how the system can be gamed.
I still don’t like the idea of a company tracking every site I visit. YMMV.
So what happens when I get lots of points? Do I cash them in or win a (real life) prize, or is this just a way to waste time?
And cue the massive amount of portals that will go to porn sites…
Looks like they’ve already been overwhelmed with traffic today.. Error 500… How am I going to loot that crate of beleam’s?
for the love of god…i guess any retard can make a site now…
Wow… if this is not the stupidest thing I’ve seen all week, I don’t know what is.
Stupid or not. these guys have a good amount of traffic for a startup.
not to mention a valid idea.
I signed up today and it is actually quite entertaining and has interesting futures. Ie…turning the landscape of the web into a MMORPG
Once real people start to use it – the potential for spam and abuse will be incredible – but I suppose that is why new players have limited resources and there is a rep system.
@Josh:
Says the guy whose web site link leads to:
https://veamon....lfip.com/forgr/
*eyeroll* Apparently ANY retard CAN make a web site.