Papermint coming to UK

Popular German-language online social networking game to be released in the UK this year.

NEWPORT, Wales--Papermint, the social networking game that has taken Germany and Austria by storm, will be getting an English-language version before the end of the year, revealed Barbara Lippe, lead artist at developer Avaloop, at the recent Women in Games conference.

The site, which was launched in German on March 21, already has 2,000 players signed up. It is developed and run by Avaloop Immersive Worlds, a Vienna-based independent game development studio where, it turns out, "all the creative lead forces" are women.

The game uses a mixture of 2D and 3D environments in a world that has more unique, cartoonlike graphics than most current networking offerings. Lippe commented, "It's for people who don't want to work too much in an online game. It's very different to everything else out there. There's no hyperrealism. We're moving away from this obsession with realism."

Papermint also offers a number of minigames to play, including searching for and collecting flowers to barter for other objects, such as clothing and furniture, and more which can be accessed via arcade machines inside people's virtual houses.

The game has had a huge amount of publicity in Avaloop's native country. Lippe said, "Suddenly we were everywhere."

Lippe said that much of the media coverage made the obvious comparison between established online worlds, including Second Life and the recently announced PlayStation Home. Lippe commented, "We are not the second Second Life. We know that lots of people have played Second Life. But how many people actually enjoyed it? Exactly. That's the difference. And yes, Papermint is like Home, but Papermint is also charming."

Another big difference between Second Life and Home is that there is not complete freedom in Papermint. Whereas Second Life has red-light districts and sexual content, there will be none of that in the wholesome Papermint. Lippe laughed, "We don't believe in freedom. There's no pornography or gambling. It's innocent fun for everyone."

Papermint will be free to play and will be released in an English-language version on both PCs and Macs before the end of the year.

21 Comments

  • theKSMM

    Posted May 7, 2007 1:24 pm GMT

    Interesting. The Mac is going to get a game at the same time as the Windows camp. Too bad that doesn't happen more often.

  • EikoAtoride

    Posted Apr 26, 2007 8:31 am GMT

    How come I've never ever heard of that Papermint-thingy? *takes a glimpse in the mirror* ... yeah... you two are there. Oh, I forgot... I am NOT interested in the usual girly stuff.

  • Pete5506

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 7:38 pm GMT

    different

  • HuxleyHobbes

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 3:28 pm GMT

    Sketchbaz - Says the chap with Gears of War as an avatar -_-.

    The COG does what it has to do to survive.

  • horioricorious

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 12:11 pm GMT

    go women!

  • ArfenZard15

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 11:20 am GMT

    Hmm interesting...

    I might check it out

  • chrisdojo

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 10:42 am GMT

    don't care. not in the UK.

  • zsc4

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 10:15 am GMT

    Interesting, never really heard of it before

  • majestikk

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 10:00 am GMT

    Not to sure if it's something to be enthusiased...

  • ReggieNametaker

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 9:56 am GMT

    Hmmm interesting...

  • Bgrngod

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 9:51 am GMT

    Interesting. I like the fact that they are controlling content. Not sure why everyone else seems to think that a free service means anything goes. And the business model of having women as the creative forces is certainly interesting.

    But dang, way to stick it to PSHome and SecondLife with those comments. Go for the jugular!

  • Doolum

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 9:18 am GMT

    never heard of that before

  • Warfust

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 9:15 am GMT

    Sounds cool

  • Sketchbaz

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 8:55 am GMT

    "joshuahaveron"

    no freedom! wots the point!

    ^

    Says the chap with Gears of War as an avatar -_-.

  • TrumpyTheDog

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 8:20 am GMT

    Germany are very very strict on violence in games and the like, there are numerous games like GTA that are only really available in licenced adult shops so I wouldn't expect anything like red light districts in this. Lame.

    Almost got thrown out of a shop, when I went to visit relatives when I was 15, just for playing Bombjack on an old arcade machine.

  • joshuahaveron

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 8:05 am GMT

    no freedom! wots the point!

  • darkfox101

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 8:01 am GMT

    2 million plp enjoy 2nd life. exactly.

  • N8A

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 8:00 am GMT

    "We don't believe in freedom" How typically German of you...

  • Somini

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 7:48 am GMT

    BetterThanCO2:

    "The site, which was launched in German on March 21, already has 2,000 players signed up." I hope thats a typo as if it isn't then it's not doing so good."

    It must be a typo, since Germany has over 80 million inhabitants, 2000 could never be a good number.

  • BetterThanCO2

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 7:36 am GMT

    "The site, which was launched in German on March 21, already has 2,000 players signed up." I hope thats a typo as if it isn't then it's not doing so good.

  • Thorpe89 Site moderator

    Posted Apr 24, 2007 7:25 am GMT

    I hope what they describe it as is true.

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