If you've ever been bullied, then know this: A group of Australian students are in the midst of creating a game just for you — one that really lets you blow off (or rather, yell off) some steam.
Talk about revenge of the nerds. In this game — called "Virtus Per Verba: First Person Shouter" — you play a bespectacled geek. But not just any geek. You are the CHOSEN geek. And as the title suggests, that means you have the power to take down your enemies by shouting at them.
"First Person Shouter" (a riff on all those first-person shooter games) is being developed by four students at the University of New South Wales in Australia who have started up a small game studio called The Anti-Socialites.
"We're not sure whether the game truly encapsulates the way that bullying has affected us or even others," said a member of the team during an AMA on Reddit this week. "But it was very stress relieving, and certainly reminded me of moments when I didn’t have anything intelligible to say but just wanted to yell."
"First Person Shouter" was inspired in part by the experimental shouting game "Gnilley" as well as the hit game "The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" — in which you get to shout down dragons. (See InGame editor Todd Kenreck's video at the bottom of this story.)
To knock back the bullies in this game, players shout (or make other noises) into a microphone. To see first-person shouting in action, check out the game's new trailer and the prototype demo below.
Of course, "Skyrim" fans are sure to see the influence in the above trailer. But not to worry, the "Skyrim" developers at Bethesda seem to appreciate the reference. They gave "First Person Shouter" an, uhm, shoutout on Twitter.
The students say they are currently busy with exams but plan to offer a demo of "Virtus Per Verba: First Person Shouter" after Nov. 12. You have until then to get your voice ready for battle.
— Via Indie Games
Winda Benedetti writes about video games for NBC News. You can follow her tweets about games and other things on Twitter here @WindaBenedetti and you can follow her on Google+. Meanwhile, be sure to check out the IN-GAME FACEBOOK PAGE to discuss the day's gaming news and reviews.
