Schoolboy's online pirate game sails to success
A CRUMLIN schoolboy is aiming to follow in his father's footsteps by creating a world famous business.
At just 11 Peter Fitzgerald jnr, son of the founder of medical diagnostics company Randox Laboratories in Crumlin, has spent the last eight months developing a new internet game 'Buccaneers and Lobsters.'
In just one month Peter's game, which is set in the high seas during the Napoleonic War, has already had 10,000 users.
Players use their skill and judgement to build and develop a fleet of warships in order to dominate the seas, in competition with other online players and teams.
The game is also educational, developing players' knowledge of Napoleonic history and naval activity.
Peter hopes to follow in the sucess of US gaming company Zynga as a source of inspiration. It was founded three years ago and is already valued at $1billion.
"I saw a gap," said Peter. "When I couldn't find an interactive, multi-player game that featured pirates after watching Pirates of The Caribbean and series such as Hornblower on TV.
"We've asked older players what they think of the game and the feedback is good. We also have a growing following on Facebook from women, which is something I didn't expect."
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He continued: "We spent a lot of time working on the details of 'Buccaneers and Lobsters' to ensure it's as accurate as possible and to encourage teachers and parents to see the value of the game."
Peter believes that the secret behind the success is for followers to download the game quickly and efficiently.
"The game must be playable, if a player can't get into my game in five minutes then we've done something wrong," he said.
"We can't say that Buccanneers and Lobsters will ever be finished. I need to continue updating it and adding to it if my players are going to keep coming back. Over the coming months I hope to add Ghost Ships, Special Items and Weapons, the ability to capture ports. I also aim to host a series of historical naval battles that will enable players to pit their best and strongest ships against the best online opponents."
You can play the game at www.buccaneersandlobsters.com
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Friday 25 May 2012
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