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This press conference has reached critical mass. We've enough journalists - Intel Spin Doctor
EA gives Sim City to OLPC project
ELECTRONIC Arts will install the 1989 version of SimCity on every One Laptop per Child (OLPC) machine.
EA spinners said that by gifting SimCity onto each OLPC laptop, EA was providing users with an entertaining way to engage with computers as well as help develop decision-making skills while honing creativity.
It thinks that it is the first time that a major video game publisher has gifted in such a way.
For those who have never wasted days playing the game, in SimCity, the player takes on the role of mayor of a new municipality and are responsible for building and maintaining a place where citizens can work and live happily.
Although it is an interesting concept we wonder how a person living in a village in the jungle will cope worrying about plumbing and transport links in a western style society.
OLPC will begin distributing laptops in countries such as Uruguay, Peru, Mexico, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Haiti, Cambodia and India by the end of 2007.
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Forgive me for playing devils advocate but why does an old outdated game. Thats based on a western society help people who possible do not even have toilets? Surely there are alternatives?
I wonder if they will ever bundle Crysis =)). Event for the next generation OLCP?
"OLPC will begin distributing laptops in countries such as Uruguay, Peru, Mexico, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Haiti, Cambodia and India by the end of 2007. Although it is an interesting concept we wonder how a person living in a village in the jungle will cope worrying about plumbing and transport links in a western style society." It is sad to see in this day and age dumb a** statements such as yours...
Typical EA being tight fisted swines they could have at least given Sim City 2000 it would have given at least a better impression than euuuurgh! I dont think it would have been that taxing a game to run on these machines
I don't remember well, but the 1989 version must be before they had plane crashes and floods in SimCity. Couldn't they at least add a halfway realistic version? If the kids in Bangladesh got a flooding on their SimCity installation every now and then, I am sure they could relate to the game better, huh??
Blizzard should gift the original Warcraft. That should run fast on the OLPC. It would be potentially more entertaining, and no less relative to computer users in a third world country as playing a game of Sim City. :) Cheers, John
i like how EA is positioning their games as learning experiences while really just creating a bridge to an untapped market. it's a shame too, all of those kids that could have been using the computer to be looking at porn are now going to spend all their time playing video games.
1. The biggest cities in the world are in underdeveloped countries. Mexico City is the biggest of them all. 2. OLPC will be running Linux. Does that mean EA will produce an official Linux port of Sim City, so that people won't need to make do with Lincity?
don't be so harsh with ea. sure it's not a big gift, you know, it's a game that brings in absolutely no money that's almost 2 decades old, but still it's a bigger step then any other game makers have made.
Doesn't rockstar give away the first few Grand theft auto games on thier website.. add them to the OLPC that way the kids can learn how to drive and stuff... ok I guess I can see why this might be a bad idea,,