曾经风靡一时的电视互动游戏节目《The Dating Game》已重新制作，但其形式不再是参与者在电视上回答煽情的问题，新版本游戏架构于Facebook及其他社交网络平台。

目前这款游戏免费，其主要形式依然与20世纪60年代中期Chuck Barris所设计的电视节目相同，某单身女子或男子需要在三轮私人话题问答后从三个匿名追求者中做出选择。比如，参与者可能会被问到：“如果你正在设计新品种香水，你认为它会是什么味道的，你要如何说服我喷上这种香水？”玩家的答案越接近单身女子或男子的想法，意味着他们间的默契度较高，因而得分也越高。得分最高的玩家将获得与这位单身人士“约会”的权利，也就是虚拟聊天。

为保护隐私并增加娱乐性，所有玩家均显示虚拟头像，不使用个人照片或视频。而且，每轮问答均采用多项选择的形式，避免冒犯他人。即便如此，玩家的回答同样可能充满挑逗性。比如，当问及“假如我们约会，你会将初吻选择在何处？”，可选择的回答之一是“我比较喜欢先亲吻你的嘴唇，……”。越快选择答案越好，因为其他竞争者可能选择与你相同的答案。游戏邦获悉，游戏中同样可以赠送虚拟礼物。

The Dating Game

这款游戏的开发商是位于内华达州里诺的3G Studios，首席执行官James Kosta说道：“我们深入研究Facebook市场后发现，用户最乐于谈论的话题是约会。而且这与是否已婚无关紧要，人们热衷于讨论谁与谁约会，闲谈人与人之间的关系，有些人还通过社交网络做媒。因此我们决定开发这款轻松的游戏，让用户参与其中尽情欢乐。”

当问及通过开发游戏他学到什么，Kosta笑着回答道：“调情并非想象的那样简单。”Kostas表示，他在制作者构思问题和答案时意识到，不同的人调情方法也各不相同，而且并非都能成功。

这款获Sony Pictures许可的游戏目前已在Facebook、MySpace、Friendster、Hi5和Bebo上出现，三轮独特的问答是其与众不同之处。第一轮是4个有关个人偏好的问题，包括旅游、浪漫和工作等方面。第二轮是联想猜词游戏，参赛者必须尽快选出他们最中意的回应。第三轮的形式类似于Mad-Libs，追求者在段落空白处选择合适的单词编成幽默故事并读出。

据Kosta所述，游戏中共有数千个问题，但免费包只包含100个左右的问题。玩家可自由选择购买额外的话题内容扩展包（有运动类、成人等等），单价1美元至5美元不等。游戏邦获悉，每个扩展包中都有新图片，玩家可用来改变游戏的外观。Kosta说道：“我认为玩家会对游戏的匿名性感到好奇，努力去猜测自己的玩伴是什么样的人。或许游戏临近结束时就可以发现，你和他/她会成为好朋友，还是只能发展成类似办公室中的同事关系。”

Kosta透露游戏其他平台的版本正在研发中，包括使用iOS系统的设备和某些基于互动电视的服务。（本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译，转载请注明来源：游戏邦）

‘The Dating Game’ goes interactive, virtual and social

The once-popular The Dating Game television game show has been remade for the 21st century — but instead of contestants answering flirtatious questions on television, this new version is playable on Facebook and other social networks.

Available today for free, The Dating Game is based on the same core premise as the cheeky TV show created by Chuck Barris in the mid ’60s: a bachelorette or bachelor must decide between three anonymous suitors after three rounds of personal questions. For example, contestants might be asked “You have created a new perfume. What scent is it and how do you convince me to wear it?” The player whose answers are closest to the main contestant’s wins more points than their competitors, as it suggests better compatibility. The top scorer wins a “date” with the bachelor or bachelorette — virtually speaking, that is.

To keep things safe and fun, all players are represented by customizable avatars rather than photos or video of real faces. Plus, answers per round are multiple-choice based, so there’s less of a chance of offending someone. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be a bit racy — if asked “Assuming we date, where should we have our first kiss?” one of the replies you can choose from is “Well, I’d like to kiss you on the lips first…” The faster you can buzz in with your answer, the better, as more than one contestant might want the same response. Digital gifts can be given within the game, too.

“We did some extensive research into the Facebook market and found the most actively talked-about subject was dating,” says James Kosta, CEO of 3G Studios, the Reno, Nevada-based developer of The Dating Game. “And it doesn’t matter if you’re married – people like to talk about who’s dating who, gossip about people’s relationships and perhaps playing matchmaker — and so we wanted to create a fun and light-hearted forum to keep people engaged and entertained.” When asked what he learned while creating the game, Kosta laughed and replied “it’s not as easy to flirt as you might think.” When the writers were drafting questions and answers, Kostas said he realized different people flirt, or try to flirt, in different ways — sometimes unsuccessfully.

The Dating Game — licensed from Sony Pictures and now playable on Facebook, MySpace, Friendster, Hi5 and Bebo — features three unique rounds of questions. The first is a series of four questions related to personal preferences about travel, romance, work, and so on. Round no. 2 is a word association game, where contestants must buzz in with their preferred response. The third round is a take on Mad-Libs, having suitors read a short story and their chosen words fill in the blanks to create humorous tales.
Kosta says the game has thousands of questions, but the free content pack contains about 100 questions or thereabouts. Gamers can purchase additional theme-based content packs (’80s, sports, adult, etc.) for anywhere between $1 and $5 apiece. Each pack also offers new graphics to change up the look of each game.

“I think people will be surprised how much fun the anonymity of the game is, trying to guess who you’re playing with,” says Kosta. “You might learn at the end of the game it’s a good friend or perhaps it’s someone in the office.”

Kosta hinted other versions of The Dating Game are in the works for other platforms, including iOS devices and some interactive television-based services. (Source: USA Today)