Got Moon? Joe Got Game's Shackleton Crater Kickstarter
Moon alert! Electronic Arts co-founder Joe Ybarra's Joe Got Game announced yesterday they want $700,000 to Kickstart Shackleton Crater, a lunar colonization strategy game. Oh okay then a "lunar colonization strategy game based on today's science and tomorrow's dream". On tomorrow's dream. Yeah!
Using Real Sciences (the trailer has used NASA footage) and "plausible science fiction", Shackleton Crater is designed for tablet computers (Android, iOS, Windows 8) and PCs (Windows, Mac), and up to 4 players can fight over who is actually the Ernest Shackleton of the crater.
As much as this cheesily worded Kickstarter text might make me wince a few times, Joe Ybarra is a lovely lovely man (his smile makes me want to go out and get Werther's Originals from the shop) with 30 years of experience making games. He has decided to make a moonbase-building turn-based strategy game (apparently with quite a bit of replay value) to inspire the next generation of wee sciency scamps to use their Brain Powers to bugger off to the moon. I approve: not only did games like Age of Empires (so eloquently written about by Brendan) increase my little brother's and I's interest in and knowledge of history, but Dungeon Keeper also inspired me to become the Crysis 3-bothering dominatrix of my time. So. Think about that. And have a look at Joe's lovely face:
RPS's favourite quotation from the Kickstarter is "We want to inspire gamers, thinkers and dreamers who want the moon as badly as we do." Do you want the moon? How badly? I WANT MOON. MOON WANT.