Well, it's true, I'm pretty much addicted to
PMOG. Over the past two days that I have had access to PMOG I have been surfing the web more often than ever before just to garner more data points to improve my character with. It's kinda funny how something so simple can be so entertaining and addicting. I find that every time I start up my browser I check to see if I have PMail and do some wandering around on the PMOG website. My character is primarily a destroyer, I have had the pleasure of laying mines on many different sites and watching people run into them and lose DP. I have even been called a sadist by another user for laying mines on high traffic sites such as
Google,
Myspace, and
worldofwarcraft.com. I beg to differ, I am not a sadist, mines are just the particular game aspect I enjoy the most.
The basic game mechanics of
PMOG involve collecting and losing data points through a variety of tools and abilities. These data points then allow you to further your character by purchasing items in the shop and gaining levels in each of the different classes. The primary way of accumulating DP is by surfing the web. Every time you go to a site you get DP, although if you hit a mine you lose DP, so you have to be careful. If you are feeling particularly nice you can stash DP cards for other users to find giving them 10 of your DP. This can be a rewarding experience, helping out those who need DP when you've spent all day surfing the web and building up DP. On the contrary you can plant mines that destroy other player's DP. This is just plain fun, and makes for a good laugh. However if you mine a player too much they might attatch a St. Nick to you forcing you to waste mines to remove it before being able to lay mines once again (I've had lots of experience with St. Nicks). Finally there are crates, in which you can stash a variety of things ranging from DP to Portals and other tools. Crates run along the same lines as DP cards.
Beyond the aspect of developing a character and interacting with other players through DP cards and mines, there are missions to explore. Any player can create a mission which involves a string of sites, sometimes related, and sometimes random. These missions can range from educational to just plain bazaar. Missions provide an excellent way for members to share content, and show others some of their favorite sites or even just provide some information about themselves to the world. Missions can teach players a lesson by taking them through several sites based around a common subject that inform the player. One other way for players to share sites is by Portals. Portals are blind links to other pages that players can set on a web site. Sometimes they can be good, and other times they can be bazaar, or even completely disturbing. Portals are a gamble, but add a bit more fun to discovering new sites.
All in all
PMOG is a game based on social interaction. Players are expected to interact with each other, and share content and sites with each other while also interacting with the world wide web. PMOG helps broaden horizons by providing incentives to surfing around the web, and provides a catalyst for players of like minds to interact and become either allies or rivals. It's quite an entertaining experience, and one that I won't get tired of for a very long time if ever.