Kwari: The FPS That Lets Players Put Their Money Where Their Mouth Is
By Jonathan on Thursday, August 30th, 2007 at 5:01 PM PST In Computer, Gamer Life
Are you any good at first-person-shooters? How would you like to turn those skills into some actual cash? That’s what this upcoming futuristic FPS, called Kwari, lets you do. There have been past attempts at giving gamers a shot at making money playing games, but they were mostly based on mini-tournaments that could net a cash jackpot.
Kwari is looking to shake up that formula a bit by incorporating a hit-based system. Basically, if you land a shot on another player, you take some cash from them, and vice versa. At the end of the round, whatever you have left is yours to keep. You can set the stake level at anywhere from a penny per shot to a dollar per shot. Some actions though, such as doing damage to yourself, will cost you a small amount of money, which will be put into a communal jackpot. Any player can win these jackpots or their cash-equivalent in the form of prizes. There are also several other ways to win cash or prizes, such as collecting several keys that spawn throughout the map or holding the “Pill” for the longest amount of time. Players will also receive individual tasks — some short and some that could take a few nights — that will give them cash bonuses once they’re completed.
The house never takes any of the money that flies around during these matches, but they do charge for ammunition, which works in all weapons. This is the only time you’ll actually be charged anything. The developers also have incorporated a skill matching system, which should hopefully give people a more equal chance and not just get completely robbed. The game will be free to download, and they’re currently running a beta test for the game. You can sign up for the beta by going to this site.
This a pretty interesting twist on an old concept (read: turning gaming into gambling). The game itself actually looks pretty good from a graphical standpoint, although the gameplay doesn’t appear very innovative. You’ll have your standard machine guns, shotguns, and rocket launchers to choose from, as well as health and shield pickups. Hopefully the game itself plays well, as this could be a means for devoted shooter fans to earn a few bucks.
Via Kwari.com
stupid. how many people use aimbots, maphacks, etc in FPS? and that is -without- incentives such as real cash. i find it hard to believe that the devs could be so naive as to overlook this problem.
Gotta agree with Dakota. Not only will it promote cheating, but it just won’t work either. The matching system won’t work properly and the general system will encourage people to keep on playing, to rectify their loses. It literally is gambling with a computer game. Absolutely ridiculous.
Firstly there are solutions around map hacks, aimbots etc… how can you say you find it hard to believe that the devs could be so naive as to overlook the problem when you havent seen the game in action? What evidence do you have that shows the devs overlooking the problem? lol
Secondly how can you say the matching system wont work properly either? have you seen it? I heard its based on how much you’re willing to gamble, i.e the more confident the player, the higher the win/loss ratio. If you bet big you can either win a lot or lose a lot. Its easy to see n00bs will stick to the lowest and those with more skill will aim higher.
Personally it sounds exciting, I’m gonna try the beta, if I’m any good I might stick some money on there and play it safe on the lower gambling settings. I have faith that the devs behind it will be working hard to make sure its a safe and fair gaming experience.