MyMiniCity - Game, Scam, or strange diversion?

[Roland St. Jude]

There's this site that allows you to create a city. Then as people visit, your city grows and changes. It acquires roads, residents, etc. It's like SimCity except: 1) it only grows if people visit and 2) as near as I can tell you can't do anything to alter the growth.

Example city: Clairstown (http://clairstown.myminicity.com).

Has anyone heard of this? I wouldn't really call it game, as you can't do anything that I can tell. But it's free and doesn't really require any contact info to create a city so isn't really a scam. I guess the website owner makes money off ads, but I would guess most people don't care about that if it doesn't cost them anything. What a wierd little diversion. My wife's quite taken with it. I'm not sure I understand the appeal.

P.S. In the interest of full disclosure, the linked city is my wife's city. :smallsmile:

[bluish_wolf]

Well, at least it's not as annoying as that zombie one. You know: http://kevan.org/brain.cgi?name=bluish+wolf

[Beleriphon]

Beleritown is open just for fun. Come and visit.

http://beleritown.myminicity.com/ Build up my population!
http://beleritown.myminicity.com/ind Build up my industrial base!

[dean w stick]

Please visit my city, I'm trying to beat a friend. :smallamused:

http://wesnoth.myminicity.com/

[Om]

Its a scam. Well not quite, but it is an advertising trap designed to lure in as many unsuspecting people as possible. Only in these cases its you, and others who have "built" cities, who is/are spreading the links.

[Samiam303]

Its a scam. Well not quite, but it is an advertising trap designed to lure in as many unsuspecting people as possible. Only in these cases its you, and others who have "built" cities, who is/are spreading the links.
Isn't that the point of every online game site though? If people find it amusing, then it's not a scam...

[Rama_Lei]

http://mooseface.myminicity.com/

Mooseface would be the name of my ideal town...

[bingo_bob]

Welcome to Clontarf (http://clontarf.myminicity.com/)/Clontarf's Industry! (http://clontarf.myminicity.com/ind)

Why's it in the Congo? Because I felt like it :smallcool:.

And there actually is a town named Clontarf, near where I live.

[lipe44]

http://arda--me.myminicity.com/

Arda is open, i just like the name and someone already used it.. SO added ME(Middle Earth) to it.

Visit it that i am visiting yours.

[TheBoneSplitter]

It's probably only a diversion from the norm, not that I'd be interested in clicking on links... regardless if I'm on Firefox or not.

It's definitely not a game in the true sense of the word...

And it's basically only scam if you find spyware / adware. *Shrug*

[Nerd-o-rama]

Check out mine:

[Rickrolling, Zombifying, and other links to things other than what they purport to be are trolling/spammy.]

[The_Chilli_God]

I pick Option #3: Strange Diversion!

Because you don't actually do anything, so it's not a game, and I saw no obviously scammy things (I had to double-check a town to see if there were even ads in the entire page) so it can't be a scam.

...
@Nerd-o-rama, that was cruel.

[Nerd-o-rama]

Heh. Old-school viral gaming for you. Well, relatively.

And if you didn't get it from the city name, you should go play Urban Dead.

[kpenguin]

Come on over to Thronehold (http://thronehold.myminicity.com/)

[Om]

Isn't that the point of every online game site though? If people find it amusing, then it's not a scam...No. There are plenty that do not make use of viral advertising. When "progress" on the site is directly related to the number of visitors that you attract then its an advertising scam/tool.

[Captain van der Decken]

No, it'd be a scam if it taking something from you/harming you in some way. Apart from your time, it takes nothing, and people who enjoy it (for whatever reason :smallsigh:) obviously don't mind.

[Crispy Dave]

Come on over to crispyville (http://crispyville.myminicity.com/)

[Raroy]

My own town: http://raroy.myminicity.com/

Sad, isn't it?

[lipe44]

My own town: http://raroy.myminicity.com/

Sad, isn't it?

Only if you let it be, visit my town that i am visiting all that appear in this thread.

[Gaelbert]

I caved in and made my own city, right here. (http://claston.myminicity.com/)
The beautiful city of Claston. Population as of now? 1.
Industry Link:http://claston.myminicity.com/ind

[Zweanslord]

Well, I have been looking at the other cities and it drove me to make a city of my own as well. The appeal, I think, is because you can see something grow and, hopefully, prosper. Just like planting a little seed and watching it grow to a mighty tree. Which is your little seed, which gives you a sense of ownership. I think, that considering this is a web based thing, it counts more as 'strange diversion' then anything else, due to lack of having influence.

And, naturally, my little ville:
http://swansville.myminicity.com/
Or, if you want to boost my ville's industry:
http://swansville.myminicity.com/ind

[Demented]

They should let you log in and pay taxes. =P

I checked the city rankings... It's interesting how the game is more popular in, say, France, but Australia and Russia have larger top cities.

...Unfortunately, I think I've just been banned from checking the city rankings any further. :smalleek: MySQL error, "too many connections".

[bluish_wolf]

They should let you log in and pay taxes. =P

I checked the city rankings... It's interesting how the game is more popular in, say, France, but Australia and Russia have larger top cities.

...Unfortunately, I think I've just been banned from checking the city rankings any further. :smalleek: MySQL error, "too many connections".

I'm fairly certain that doesn't mean you have been banned. Just check back in a bit.

http://www.modwest.com/help/kb6-205.html

[Omicroncubed]

Theta Town is open for inhabitants (http://theta-town.myminicity.com/)

(I just started it)

[HomerHT]

Visit Walden Two!

http://walden-two.myminicity.com/

That one little house is B. F. Skinner's :smallamused:

[quick_comment]

http://toothpick.myminicity.com/
http://toothpick.myminicity.com/ind

[Altharis]

Visit sunny Altharisia! (http://altharisia.myminicity.com)

All new citizens get one free cookie!

EDIT: Now we need more walrus-operated factories! Walrus-Power! (http://altharisia.myminicity.com/ind)

(Cookie offer still valid for industry visits. Tell me if you want a People cookie, an Industry cookie, or a Transport cookie.)

[Quinsar]

come to catsonstilts all residents get a gormet meal a week

move into cats on stilts
http://catonstilts.myminicity.com

[kpenguin]

Wooo! I'm over 50 pop... and need industry...

Please improve Thronehold's industry (http://thronehold.myminicity.com/ind), fellow GITPers!

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w118/kpenguin222/visitthronehold.gif

[Heroic]

Come visit Herosville (http://herosville.myminicity.com/) we have cookies!

[Crispy Dave]

Wooo! I'm over 50 pop... and need industry...

Please improve Thronehold's industry (http://thronehold.myminicity.com/ind), fellow GITPers!

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w118/kpenguin222/visitthronehold.gif


this is a great pic have you shown almighty salmon

[kpenguin]

Yeah, I posted it in ABR.

[Roland St. Jude]

Interesting. I wasn't expecting to touch off an avalanche of minicities, though I guess I shouldn't be surprised. So are people enjoying it? Getting anything out of it. I'm mildly amused to check in on my wife's city, but I'm still not sure what the draw is. It is, as noted, very simple and mostly not in the city-maker's control.

[Shades of Gray]

Visit Grayston (http://grayston.myminicity.com)... yeah...

[Eita]

Visit Pelusnor!

[kpenguin]

Wooo! Over 100!

Now, help my transportation (http://thronehold.myminicity.com/tra), please.

[Sneak]

Well, I just started out...

but it's never too late to visit Sneakville the Magnificent! (http://sneakville.myminicity.com/)

[Pandaren]

I'll visi yours if you visit mine ;)

CityTownPlace (http://citytownplace.myminicity.com)

I pick strange diversion. I'm a sucker for these kinds of things.

Edit:

*gasp*

We all knew it, it's Asian, I just realized the arrow keys are inverted.

[Cybren]

BEHOLD! Cybrenia!
http://cybrenia.myminicity.com/

[Omicroncubed]

Now I need help with Industry (Well I've needed help with it a while now)

Help me out through here http://theta-town.myminicity.com/ind

[lipe44]

I need some industry guys

http://arda--me.myminicity.com/ind/

[Exachix]

I made mine!

http://paraquara.myminicity.com/

[Castaras]

http://castaras.myminicity.com/

Dingalinging.

Name based on the real Castaras, in Spain. :smallbiggrin:

Edit: Give the weird blue-haired girl a chance to have a better cardboard box to live in?

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u130/Castaras/MoreHousingNeeded.png (http://castaras.myminicity.com)

[Sneak]

Hmm. For some reason, it won't let me post on the bulletin board anymore. On my city, or on anyone else's. :smallconfused:

EDIT: Nevermind. Weird. :smallconfused:

[Ichneumon]

Just some advertisement for Hymenoptera

http://hymenoptera.myminicity.com/ind

I really like this game.

[Gaelbert]

Time to industrialize:
http://claston.myminicity.com/ind

[Beleriphon]

Interesting. I wasn't expecting to touch off an avalanche of minicities, though I guess I shouldn't be surprised. So are people enjoying it? Getting anything out of it. I'm mildly amused to check in on my wife's city, but I'm still not sure what the draw is. It is, as noted, very simple and mostly not in the city-maker's control.

I think what you're looking at Roland is that people like simple diversions. Its the same reason that those Tamogachi things (those are what I'm thinking of right) are so popular, or at least were. They take minimal input and can provide quite a bit of cheap entertainment.

[Keris]

I has a city!
http://new-burmecia.myminicity.com. Help the rat-people re-build after the destruction of 7 years ago!

[Crispy Dave]

this is realy cool [Scrubbed]
Increase my industry (http://crispyville.myminicity.com/ind)