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I, too, am looking forward to getting my hands on a copy of this game once it comes out and takes off. I've heard about it mostly through the grapevine, and I am interested in seeing how far it comes from its Sims and Sims2 predecessors. The genetic and behavioral "evolution" feature of Sims2 has helped catapult it to tremendous success by hooking gamers with its seemingly "emergent" premise. Spore, undoubtedly, is poised to do much the same.

In terms of actual emergence, I think Jessica raises a valid point. I would have to agree that while Spore may go to great lengths to pseudo-simulate this phenomenon, there are inherent pitfalls in making it "playable". If a gamer plays Spore, then it is reasonable to assume that some interaction occurs between the person and the virtual reality that is represented on the screen. Once this interaction takes place, a gamer inevitably becomes an overseer or director for this universe, producing a vast array of evolutionary consequences for each and every action or decision made. One way for the Spore to better embrace our definition of emergence is to let evolution unfold after removing all user control. (Wouldn't that go over well in the gaming industry?)