Can a realistic space exploration roleplaying game inspire an interest in the real thing? Last week, NASA announced they were calling for proposals to develop an MMO for the young that would be “the front-end of a larger synthetic environment”, with a budget approaching three million dollars in as many years. They were explicitly looking for proposals from teams that included “a partner with commercial-quality game development experience”, and naturally, I thought of John Carmack, perhaps the only person who happens to be renowned in both rocket travel and game design. (In rocketry, through his self-funded Armadillo Aerospace, and for the latter— well, since you’re reading GigaGamez, you already know.)

On a lark, I e-mailed Carmack to get his take on the NASA project.

“I certainly don’t have time to be directly involved with something like that,” Carmack wrote back promptly, “but I would be happy to offer a free afternoon of outside design review for a NASA team if they want to stop by Id.” He does evince a touch of skepticism about the value of a space flight MMO in general.

“Part of me thinks it is absurd that NASA will be spending more on this than I spend on Armadillo Aerospace,” Carmack continues, “and the end result will probably be a turkey (a MMOG focusing on formal education… sounds thrilling!)”

Still, he adds, “[I] do support efforts to enhance math/science/engineering education, and I could imagine something interesting coming out of it if they were willing to focus on game-like scenario and actions, rather than trying to be some sort of generic Second Life sort of environment.”

In any case, any Carmack consultations will have to wait. Only days after announcing the proposal, NASA abruptly announced they had postponed the project. Some concluded that the space agency suddenly panicked at the idea of spending so much tax payer dollars on a computer game. Not so, says Daniel Laughlin of NASA Learning Technologies.

“I can tell you that NASA is still supportive of the idea,” he e-mails me, “but that there have been serious budget cuts this year including news of one right after the announcement went out. For now, we are trying to regroup and find the resource to push ahead with the project. So the plan is still in the works, but the when and the how are up in the air at the moment.”

Then again, since Carmack is too busy launching manned rockets of his own, maybe NASA could turn to Rich Carlson, designer of the cult classic indy game, Strange Adventures in Infinite Space: “Why not use the same technology that allows us to play technologically sophisticated games in the universe of Star Wars to explore our own universe, to build, explore and share such experiences in such powerful ways?” Carslon wrote back excitedly, when I told him about the project. “Why not provide a new generation, via the new technologies they know so well, a chance to dream of new frontiers and invent the future of mankind?”

Thrilling words, to be sure, for any game developer who wants to reach for the stars— and can wait for the production budget.

Carmack image courtesy of Wikipedia.