UK Dept. for Transport Releases Road Safety MMO

The UK government's Department for Transport has launched Code of Everand, a free multiplayer online game designed to improve road safety behavior in children transitioning from Primary to Secondary school. Developed in cooperation with social game creator Area/Code (Parking Wars, Spore Islands), Code of Everand puts players in the role of "pathfinders," who must use magic powers to cross dangerous "Spirit Channels." In a parallel between the fantasy world and real-world traffic, "Spirit Channels" contain monsters that travel at high speeds. These creatures are unaware of the player's presence, and can cause injury if proper precautions are not taken. To cross the channels, players must cast spells and lay traps to temporarily stop the flow of monster traffic. Players may also chat with friends using pre-defined phrases, solve conflicts between towns, and complete quests on the way to unraveling the secrets of the Code of Everand. Future updates to the software will add guild support and exclusive multiplayer quests.