Virgin Chairman Sir Richard Branson is not known for the gift of understatement. So when he announces a new platform for online video game delivery, he does it in typical Branson style, saying that it will "do for PC games what iTunes has done for music." Also, it will replicate Second Life.
The new service is a partnership between Virgin Games and Game Domain International, and it will be known as A World of My Own (AWOMO). As a title, this has nothing on "GameFly," for instance, but it does indicate that the service will be more than a simple game launcher; it will be an entire virtual world as well. The apparent idea is that gamers can hang out, stroll around, and then step into the various games they want to play—but all of this will come later. In its first phase, AWOMO will simply offer games, and it promises to do so in record time. Game Domain International claims to have developed a streaming technology that enables gameplay to begin within minutes rather than requiring a lengthy, hours-long download.
They want to do to GameFly (a games-by-mail rental service) what iTunes and MovieLink are trying to do to Netflix: make the process even simpler by offering direct Internet access to the games in question. GameTap already offers such a service, though, so AWOMO will offer extras like tournaments with prizes ranging from a visit to Richard Branson’s private island to a trip to the moon (seriously). They’re also promising "mega cash prize gaming tournaments."
In its second phase, AWOMO will unveil a virtual reality island with "shops, clubs, restaurants, apartments to rent and beach houses for sale. Cinemas, music venues, sports and even a motor racing circuit are there for the asking." What this has to do with playing PC games is not clear, but the company wants to use the island to generate revenue from advertisers.
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