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Margaret Wallace, Nick Fortugno and Philippe Trawnika give an exclusive first glimpse into Shadow Government

That’s the question at the centre of the upcoming iOS sim Shadow Government.
The twist is that the simulations playing out within the game are based on tested, real-world theories. This basis in real life adds an educational element to an intriguing strategy premise.

Read full article on Pocket Gamer

During Game Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, Lipstick & Politics sat down with Margaret Wallace to talk about her experience as a business leader and her latest project. Margaret is currently at the helm of Playmatics as well as a separate company, and project, called Shadow Government (SG).

Read full article on Lipstick & Politics

Shadow Government was probably the most fascinating game I saw at GDC. I should probably clarify that: I didn’t see much of the game in action, but what I did see showed off an excellently designed UI and some good looking (if a little complicated) Farmville-style game mechanics. The most fascinating thing about Shadow Government isn’t what it does, but what its developers hope to do.

Read full article on tuaw

When most people think of social gaming, they likely think of Zynga and its flagship titles, like FarmVille and CityVille — or even Words With Friends. Yet, as Facebook social gaming matures (right along with mobile technology and platforms), we are starting to see studios begin to push the boundaries more, looking for new ways to engage and educate gamers, maybe even reinventing the wheel while they’re at it. One example is the Shadow Government Ltd…

Read full article on TechCrunch

Shadow Government, a new reality-based social game for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, is in its final stages of development and set to enter closed beta next month at the Game Developers Conference (GDC 2012) in San Francisco. This dynamic and mysterious game puts players in control of the United States’ future. Using real world events to develop the game, Shadow Government blurs the lines between reality, government and entertainment.

For as long as society has existed, a shadowy force has been controlling the destiny of every citizen on the planet. This group–sometimes called the Illuminati, the new world order, or the enlightened ones–centralized knowledge and power to dominate the populations, politicians and policies they drive. Today, it is the Shadow Government that presides over the world like a puppet master. But lucky for you, a small, rogue element has exposed the Shadow Government, opening up their vast knowledge to the general public. For the first time, the entire world’s population can see how people are made subservient, profits are controlled and grave outcomes are ensured. Now that the knowledge is in the hands of everyone, will it be used for good or evil?

“Our developers have been working with the Millennium Institute to integrate and mimic the real world more closely than ever attempted in a video game – and neatly squeezing all that into an iOS app-sized package,” said Margaret Wallace, CEO of Playmatics and project lead on Shadow Government USA. “Needless to say, the game has meat.”

Be the first to get your hands on the reality-based iOS nation-builder at the Swiss Game Arcade 2012 during GDC on Tuesday, March 6th at Swissnex. This will be the very first public debut and demo of Shadow Government, including a presentation on the game’s background and real-world roots from its creators. For more information and to RSVP for the event, visit:

http://swissnexsanfrancisco.org/Ourwork/events/swiss-game-arcade-2012

March in San Francisco means GDC (Game Developers Conference), the world’s largest gathering of game industry professionals.

“For swissnex San Francisco (within walking distance of the conference), GDC is an opportunity to showcase Switzerland’s innovative new games and developers… Join us this year as we bring new games to the Bay Area, including the first public presentation of Shadow Government, a novel social game based on real data from nations around the world.” Full swissnex article here.

We are very excited to be able to give the first public demonstration of the Shadow Government USA game in San Francisco, which is why we added a little countdown.

Shadow Government is a new “reality-based” social game being developed by Playmatics founders Margaret Wallace and Nick Fortugno in collaboration with Philippe Trawnika (formerly of the investment firm Bridgeworks.ch) in partnership with the Millennium Institute. According to a description in TechCrunch, the game is a massive project that will “use economic and sustainability data, and government-modeling software from the Millennium Institute to give players a chance to build and run, or destroy their own virtual countries.”
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A ground-breaking partnership with The Millennium Institute enables gaming veterans Margaret Wallace and Nick Fortugno to create an entirely new form of social gaming based on gamifying real countries, systems, and worldwide events.

New York City, NY – April 21, 2011 – A social mobile gaming start-up, called Shadow Government, has just emerged with a $1 million round of angel funding. With offices in New York City and in Zurich, the company is co-founded by Margaret Wallace and Nick Fortugno (both of Playmatics) and Phillipe Trawnika. This financing round for Shadow Government is backed by several prominent Swiss-based business angels.

In partnership with The Millennium Institute, the creators of the most broadly used real-world government modeling software, Shadow Government will enable an entirely new form of social gaming based on the gamification of real countries, systems, and worldwide events.
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Shadow Government comes out of hiding with $1 million angel round. Check out the article on TechCrunch