Writings of Mass Deduction

File this under “it’s so ridiculous, it just might work.” Digital DNA Games, which brought us “Avatar Laser Wars” and its sequel, have produced a chat game/app for Xbox Live Indie Games entitled “Avatar Connection” that is modeled around cheesy dating game shows like “The Dating Game”, with a bit of the “Love Connection” thrown in.

The game has two people chatting and answering questions through a host, with up to 14 other Xbox Live netizens joining in via the studio audience (and their avatars are actually visible sitting in the audience) for a total of 16 simultaneous users. It’s something that a group of friends could screw around with and have fun, and maybe you’ll actually meet someone interesting. I know some people look down on non-game apps in the XBLIG catalogue, and that’s their right, but I actually find some of it imaginative and interesting. As someone who grew up watching the Love Connection, it had some nostalgia value for me and I appreciated that (even if the Love Connection was, let’s face it, was never never very good). For 80 Microsoft Points, it’s fun to play around with (even if all you do is hang out in someone else’s audience). And note that time of day plays a big role in how successful you are at finding online matches (early evening, EST, is apparently one of the more successful times of day).

Here’s what the developer (Digital DNA Games) has to say about the game:

“The Avatar Connection. The game show where you meet real people online with your Xbox Avatar.”