by putting out this game, NASA, which in present-day Patriot Act/devaluing dollar/Every Child Left Behind America, is not a top priority in the distribution of taypayer dollars, is killing two birds with one stone.
stone #1: revenues, either directly from the game (if you have to buy it or pay subscriptions), or from advertisers (if the game is free), can be used to replace $$$ in existing underfunded or temporarily ceased NASA exploration and development programs.
stone #2 - which is what makes me believe the game will be free and profits will be from advertisers: by carving out a niche for themselves in the increasingly profitable (and socially acceptable) world of MMOs, NASA will be exposing a very desirable age group to the wonders of space. the more young teens and young adults (who, thanks to MTV and a group of celebrities, are being encouraged more and more every presidential election to take themselves to the ballots, and actually are - in record numbers) who play the game, the more space becomes a part of their everyday life. these young people, unlike the post-space race/man on the moon generations of the 80s and 90s, will be familiar with space facts, terminology, recent discoveries, and current studies and mysteries that will undoubtably be added to the game regularly. when the fantasy element of the game comes into play, players (aka potential current and future voters... maybe even for a pro-NASA spending president in 8 years?) will become enraptured with the possibilities of ETI, the activity inside a black hole, the colonialization of the moon and other planets, the use of space exploration to answer the eternal questions of "where do we come from and why are we here?"
this game could begin the rise of NASA. when was the last time you watched a shuttle launch? ever? can you name a current astronaut? how many times do you remember seeing NASA on the front page news in the last year? (personally, i can think of once - when some space council i forget the name of voted Pluto NOT A PLANET).
whole families and neighborhoods gathered to mourn Sputnik, to watch and celebrate as the first (ish) man walked on the moon. maybe by the time my age group (i'm 23) has kids, our children will be gathering with their friends to watch the ribbon be cut on a space hotel or a moon colony, and as they discuss which astronaut they want to be like when they grow up, we will read our papers, with front-page headlines about the latest anomoly that may be contact on the most recently discovered channel of communication with the rest of the universe.
sorry for the waxing philosophical in run-on sentences. i'll play the game if it doesn't suck.
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Haha
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