NCsoft taking gamers' DNA to space

By Oli Welsh Published 31 July, 2008

Richard Garriott offering lifts to cosmos.

NCsoft is offering to take the digitised DNA of gamers into outer space, in a promotion it's calling Operation Immortality.

Richard Garriott, creator of NCsoft's sci-fi MMO Tabula Rasa, will take the DNA codes with him in a time capsule when he pops out to the International Space Station in October. Wonder if he'll pick up some milk for us on the way back.

Previously thought to be the space tourist fantasy of a very rich man, the purpose of Garriott's trip is now revealed to be "venturing into space to save humanity". As long as humanity plays Tabula Rasa and is American.

"A select few US players will have their DNA digitised and sent," said Garriott. "And, theoretically, if anything happens to the human race, it could be their DNA that is used to resurrect humanity."

European law prohibits participation on this side of the Atlantic, unfortunately. However, all Tabula Rasa players worldwide with retail accounts that are active on 2nd September will have their characters uploaded to the device, so they can at least hitch a ride virtually.

There will also be a list of humanity's greatest achievements included on the Immortality Drive, as polled on the Operation Immortality website.

For a chance to go to space, you don't actually need to buy the game - an active free trial obtained from the game's official site will do.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

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Comments (6) Latest comment 4 years ago

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  • Buenos_Estente #1 4 years ago

    "A select few US players will have their DNA digitised and sent," said Garriott. "And, theoretically, if anything happens to the human race, it could be their DNA that is used to resurrect humanity."

    Thank god i'll be dead

  • ShiftyGeezer #2 4 years ago

    A world populated by MMO geeks wouldn't last long. They'd idle their lives away playing online and not concern themselves with the little things like 'getting food'. Plus who's gonna resurrect them if humanities been annihilated? The newly evolved cat people 50 million years later? Will the people clones be pets?

  • mcmonkeyplc #3 4 years ago

    I vote everyone who is american boycots NCsoft games!

  • AphoticCosmos #4 4 years ago

    Only 3 possibilites here:

    1. NCSoft is trying to create a new market on alien worlds a few hundred years in advance by giving them the concept of an MMO and letting them run with it.

    2. Garriott wants to mutate himself into some kind of MMO-geek-god.

    3. NCSoft wants to save the human race by sending fat American MMO-addicted ubernerds into space in DNA form so that they can be recreated by aliens as . . . fat American MMO-addicted ubernerds. Hardly the epitome of a human being.

  • Nithron #5 4 years ago

    Mutate himself into some kind of MMO-geek-god?

    This is Richard Garriott we're talking about here, there's no mutation necessary.

  • NorfolkNClue #6 4 years ago

    @Aphotic - you've missed option 4: Silly PR stunts to try and increase the subscriber base of a flagging game.
    Edited by 1 at 31/07/08 @ 17:41