Comments on: The world is meta...

The world is meta...

Steven C. Den Beste — Mon, 29 May 2006 08:50:22 -0800

, apparently: It remixes like a DJ." The story of Tringo, once a pass-time in the online virtual world Second Life, and now a cartridge for Gameboy Advance. (Via)

By: danb

danb — Mon, 29 May 2006 09:31:03 -0800

Things like this make me think that handheld systems (and less-powerful systems, a la Wii) are the future of video games. The barrier to entry is low enough that people will be able to innovate and still turn a profit. A game like Tringo wouldn't make it on any of the big consoles, which seem to endlessly churn out first-person shooters, sports games, and rehashes of old franchises. Great story, SCDB.

By: Faint of Butt

Faint of Butt — Mon, 29 May 2006 09:40:45 -0800

Are there any free Tringo clones out there (in Flash, maybe) so I can see what the fuss is about?

By: bigmusic

bigmusic — Mon, 29 May 2006 09:54:09 -0800

Tringo (flash)

By: bigmusic

bigmusic — Mon, 29 May 2006 09:56:44 -0800

I don't think the game is all that great actually. The only reason it was popular in SL is because you can win prizes or pots by playing it. It was more about the gambling then the game I think.

By: Faint of Butt

Faint of Butt — Mon, 29 May 2006 10:28:19 -0800

Yeah, as a solo game, I really don't think it can hold a candle to good old Tetris. Thanks, though!

By: Artw

Artw — Mon, 29 May 2006 10:52:46 -0800

The flash game is a bit, well, dull. Is there more to the handhell version?

By: vacapinta

vacapinta — Mon, 29 May 2006 11:02:37 -0800

The only reason it was popular in SL is because you can win prizes or pots by playing it. It was more about the gambling then the game I think. This is an interesting comment. It suggests to me that perhaps Wired missed the real story: You can build this complex artificial world and yet still nothing is as compelling as that mix of competitiveness/moderated risk/steady pace and quick and compelling returns as that of Church Bingo.

By: doctor_negative

doctor_negative — Mon, 29 May 2006 11:20:19 -0800

Cool game. What are high scores like, I only got to 233?

By: donovan

donovan — Mon, 29 May 2006 12:04:35 -0800

That Tringo made it out of Second Life is a testament to the smarts of Sean Ryan, a friedn and former colleague. He's one of the saaviest folks I know in the digital media space and writes a great, acerbic blog, Shark Jumping. His entry on Tringo is here. He recently launched the digital avatar company Meez.

By: Mid

Mid — Mon, 29 May 2006 12:23:48 -0800

Is "pass-time" an eggcorn (as much as I hate that term)?

By: sergeant sandwich

sergeant sandwich — Mon, 29 May 2006 13:29:29 -0800

Cool game. What are high scores like, I only got to 233? highest score i've ever seen in SL is 350, and that is jaw-dropping. you have to be really quite good to crack 300. if you can consistently post 270-280 you can win most pots, unless you're playing against a particularly good crowd.

By: danb

danb — Mon, 29 May 2006 13:34:19 -0800

Mid - nope, just a varied spelling. (The OED lists it as regional, but doesn't say where.)

By: Steven C. Den Beste

Steven C. Den Beste — Mon, 29 May 2006 19:31:54 -0800

I thought a "pass-time" was something to occupy you while time passes. Is that wrong?

By: fleacircus

fleacircus — Tue, 30 May 2006 01:04:39 -0800

As wrong as news-paper.

By: flabdablet

flabdablet — Tue, 30 May 2006 02:33:31 -0800

I like pass-time alot.

By: Katemonkey

Katemonkey — Tue, 30 May 2006 04:20:59 -0800

*starts playing the Flash version* Oh bollocks, there goes my work day.

By: Mid

Mid — Tue, 30 May 2006 06:05:04 -0800

SDB -- I read it as a mix-up for "past-time," as in "our national past-time, baseball." I read danb's comment as saying that pass-time and past-time are interchangeable, so my bad.