Naughty America crosses over to Gaming Market

[gonzo]

"Naughty America" will feature live events, communication applications, player profiles, and other enticements to get to know the participants, not just their characters, according to Tina Courtney, the game's producer. "The heart of the game lies in real-time socializing," she says. "It's a true evolution of online dating."

In online games such as "World of Warcraft," would-be heroes and villains join forces with other players to slay monsters, collect treasure, and wield deadly weapons on exquisitely rendered battlegrounds. The popularity of such games is due in large part to the collaboration they foster. The social dynamics created by interacting and chatting with participants are as much a part of the fun as the virtual carnage. Soon, however, players will be able to make love, not warcraft.
Billed as the "evolution of online dating," a new game is hoping to hook players eager for a different kind of action -- the kind that involves thumping music and bumping bodies. Suddenly, in the genre known as massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), clothing is optional.
"Naughty America: The Game" features the kind of skimpy outfits and flirty talk that are abundant in the realm of role-playing games, but it takes the virtual fling to a new level -- or, more accurately, to the bedroom. As in other RPGs, characters can have a casual drink or choose new outfits, but in this game they can also throw off their clothes whenever they like.
"Naughty America" has the potential to introduce a whole new element to gaming -- or it could become a Trivial Pursuit answer in some future "Gamers" edition. Players can judge for themselves when the game is released in late summer.
Getting Naughty
Developed by Eight Legs, "Naughty America" is visually close to "The Sims," which doesn't lack for flirtatious exploits. In that wildly popular game, which has multiple spin-offs, characters can kiss, tickle, and eventually end up in bed. They only get their groove on under the covers, however.
The visual nod to "The Sims" is no accident, says the game's producer, Tina Courtney, who calls "Naughty America" an homage to that game, adding that it is about time someone added a "sexy edge" to the MMORPG world.
"Sims" sex is no languorous lovemaking session, nor is much expertise involved: After a few seconds of giggling, bouncing sheets, and, oddly, fireworks, both parties immediately hop out of bed and get dressed. The digital inhabitants of "The Sims," quite clearly, might be game for a few pyrotechnics, but they are not cuddlers. By contrast, in "Naughty America," which plays out as if it were "The Sims: Spanish Fly," no one gets under the covers in this game, and the action is graphic. One screenshot being used to promote the game features two characters on a mission-style bed (naturally), showing more flesh than a Lara Croft bikini shot.