Level Up! mad about ‘Oz World’

The local online gaming industry prepares for a new challenge. Built primarily around the phenomenon created by male-dominated, first-person shooter (FPS) games, the industry welcomes the emergence of a new generation of Massively Multi-Player Online Games (MMOG) with the launch of "Oz World," the debut offering of Filipino online game publisher Level Up!

Although primarily intended to target a predominantly female market, surprisingly, the game has also caught the interest of players of popular male-dominated games such as War Craft and Counterstrike.

Since Level Up! held a soft launch of Oz World late last year, the game has attracted a cult following, drawing an eclectic mix of gamers from all walks of life.

Ben Colayco, general manager and resident "game boss" of Level Up!, describes Oz World as "an online avatar game" or "next-generation chat." The game features a virtual city inhabited by "avatars" or online representation of players.

The avatars can interact with other players while exploring beautifully designed, three-dimensional towns and can level up by accomplishing various tasks like giving gifts and flowers, fishing or participating in various online events. The game also has a unique chatting feature, which allows players to talk to one another.

Level Up! entered into a partnership with the creative team of Korean-based Oz Intermedia to bring the Oz World game to the Philippines.

The first of its kind, Oz World plans to feature Philippine-based merchants, popular styles and local culture to give it a distinctive Filipino feel.

The MMOG allows thousands of players to come together in one game. All they need is an Internet-enabled personal computer and a Level Up! account. If fully utilized, the game can by played by thousands of people simultaneously.

The most appealing thing about MMOGs is the human element. As online representations of the players, the avatars reflect the personality and mood of those who created them. "You never know what the other players will do or say," Colayco says.

Another strong point of the game is that it is simple, needing only the barest requirements (Pentium 116MHz, 32 RAM, 50 Meg free HD space, etc.) to run it. Anything more will only improve the game play experience.

After an extensive and comprehensive market study, the team behind Level Up! realized that it is better to start with a simpler game before introducing a more complicated and challenging game.

According to Colayco, the strength of the game lies in the creation of virtual communities. "The key to any successful MMOG game is the community that is built around it, regardless of what type of game. The community determines the game’s success and its lifespan," he says.

To foster the creation of communities, Level Up! has tapped potential partners such as student and youth-oriented organizations, Internet cafés and retail computer stores to come up with fresh strategies and innovative programs.

Level Up! has outlined various programs that will reflect the trends and opinions created by the community; a rewards program that will recognize the dedication, skill level and contributions of each user; and offline events that will bring members of the online community together.

Among these offline events are the "Bring it Online" Inter-Collegiate Oz World Challenge, which will culminate on April 30, and the "Come OZ U R" Oz World grand launch at the Hard Rock Café last Feb. 28.

For more inquiries on Level Up! and Oz World, log on to www.level-up-games.com.