Top Secret Dance-Off

If you love to dance AND love playing online games, then this new endeavor might be for you. From the mind of alternative game designer Jane McGonigal (who's joined Word of Mouth twice - at The New Yorker's "Stories from the Near Future" conference, and again to talk about her game Superstruct) comes Top Secret Dance-Off, a massively multiplayer game based on a Ning social network.

McGonigal, along with Kiyash Monsef, started the project without sponsorship or a team of developers. According to MIT's Convergence Culture Consortium blog, McGonigal says she sees it as "something I think will be a fun adventure that helps you develop a real superpower." Already some 200 people have signed up in the month since it began its playtesting phase.

It's not for the shy - people participate by completing dance-offs and "dance quests," which are regularly released by McGonigal's alter ego, Punky McMonsef. The missions are intertwined with other mysteries that need to be deciphered. If successful the players will receive real "loot" in the mail. As the players work their way through the different missions, they unveil layers of the game's mythology.

Participants can vote on each other's videos and join alliances, resolving their multiple challenges through crowdsourcing. The grassroots experiment has been embraced by amateur dancers all over the world, and best of all, it's a ton of fun and socially interactive.

(Photo by Professor Bop)