Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Spore and the wisdom

Spore has finally come out.
Despite its relative non-violence of this video game, it still has its own share of controversy - whether it is a game of evolution or a game of intelligent design. EA and Maxis chose to be ambiguous about it.

Now for a recap of what it is: The game is divided into five phase. In the first two phase, Tide Pool Phase and Creature Phase, you evolve your creature using DNA points, gained by eating meat and/or plant. You can add parts that are available throughout these two phases.

Tribal Phase and Civilization Phase evolves the creature into a society and into space. Space Phase puts you into a UFO and, well, allows you to put creatures, create new world, terraform, and tweak creature, like God did.

Here is the problem:

Evolution: you start out as a aquatic cell, adding legs and parts so that you can hunt other creature, and not being hunted. Later you get legs and get onto land and eventually gain sentience and formed a community.

Intelligent design: You, the player, dictates how the creature evolve. Not to mention pace Phase puts you into a UFO and, well, allows you to put creatures, create new world, terraform, and tweak creature, like God did.