HAMBURG, Germany, Jan. 2 (UPI) -- A new U.S. computer game entitled "Spore" will allow its players to simulate and control the evolution of life on Earth, starting with single-cell organisms.
Germany's Der Spiegel magazine reported that U.S. computer game designer Will Wright, the creator of "The Sims" and "SimCity," created "Spore" with the idea that each user can directly affect how life evolves on an empty planet.
Teaming with Electronic Arts, Wright spent the last five years designing the expansive game and the central computer program that will allow players to share their creations with other "Spore" fans, the report said.
Wright designed the prospective sharing feature in a way that doesn't force players to compete online, but rather explore one another's created worlds once their civilizations are able to explore outer space.
"That tends to be intimidating for many people," Wright said of more competitive online games. "Online games are full of powerful adversaries, and you'd essentially have to be online constantly to keep up."
Der Spiegel said that "Spore" will likely not be released until summer 2007.
