By now, almost everyone has played a social game of sorts. Whether it be the iconic “Farmville” that started it all, or one of its endless spin-offs and clones, social network users went crazy maintaining their crops and sharing all sorts of virtual in-game prizes with each other. Social games are far from dead, but there’s no doubt users are starting to care less about “virtual gold” and the juggernaut is losing some serious steam. An up and coming studio, PopRox Entertainment, is looking to revamp the genre with one major overhaul: Real world prizes.
“Race 4 My Place”, the brainchild of CEO and founder Mike Gramling, is a 120-day competition to build the city of Los Angeles. If you finish off the right contracts and make it to at least the Hollywood Sign, the payoff could be pretty sweet; prize drawings for tangible goodies, not just virtual junk. Gramling wanted to give the game meaning, and use it as an opportunity to potentially change lives. The grand prize: $200,000 to pay off your mortgage, or $100,000 in cold hard cash if you don’t have a mortgage. There will be plenty of other weekly prizes, such as gift cards, and monthly prizes including iPads and gaming consoles. Already, over $5,000 worth of prizes have been given out, and there are plenty more to come. The best part? You don't ever have to spend a dime.
The game launched Feb. 4 and is open to U.S. residents over the age of 18. Just start playing on Facebook and you’ll instantly have a chance to win some real prizes. The grand prize drawing will take place shortly after the conclusion of the game in 120 days.
If you’re interested, just head straight to http://apps.facebook.com/raceformyplace/ or check out their official website for more information.
Anthony Ortale writes news and reviews on behalf of Examiner.com. He does so much gaming in his spare time, it’s practically a full time job! If you like what you read here, please subscribe to his articles! You can also follow Tony on Twitter, or become a fan on Facebook! If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to email Tony any time at ortale.anthony@gmail.com, he’d love to hear from you