Last Week while attending the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, staff writer Carolyn Koh had the opportunity to sit down with David Simmonds and John K. Bates of Mindark to discuss what's new with Entropia Universe.

How many of our readers are familiar with Entropia Universe?  This is an MMOG that had hovered on the edge of my consciousness for a while.  When asked by their PR people to make an appointment, I had to do a bit of research.  Then it all came back.  It was formerly known as Project Entropia.  A virtual Sci-Fi world, with a micropayment economic model and in-game currency exchange to US dollars pegged at 10 PEDs (Project Entropia Dollars) to 1 US dollar.

In the Entropia Universe, players are colonists trying to tame the planet Calypso.  The wilderness is filled with dangerous creatures and is rich in ore and minerals.  There are also two space stations and the Neverdie Asteroid that orbit the planet.  The game is free to download and play, but paying for items such as better tools, weaponry and clothing can be a quick boost to faster means of earning PEDs.  Non-paying players can gather fruit and dung, and collect sweat from certain animals to sell for PEDs, or “hire out” to other players by doing jobs such as selling for them. 

Because of the difficulties involved, it is a point of pride for some players to never have paid any money into the game and still made it.  There are also those that have made a modest investment, and then turned a tidy profit; like the high school senior who managed to send his older siblings to college on his earnings in the Universe.

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