Word: ridere
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...first glimpse, it looks like a silly scrawl. But don't let that fool you - Line Rider is becoming one of the most popular flash games on the web. Part Jackass stunt, part physics lesson, Line Rider encourages users to "draw" their own ramps, hills, and slopes with a pencil tool, then sends a virtual sledder (wearing a red scarf) along the route until he swoops, swerves and crashes. Build an elaborate enough course and you'll feel like a little kid playing in the snow again, zooming downhill, popping up in the air, wiping out on a ramp jump...
...Remarkably, the new simulation is gaining quickly on Google Zeitgeist, which charts growing search query trends. Last week, Line Rider rose from No. 10 to No. 7 - ahead of both North Korean leader Kim Jong Il and the popular fighting console game Mortal Kombat: Armageddon. According to deviantART figures, more than four million people have viewed the game so far and over 325,000 have downloaded it. Another sign of its popularity: copycat programs have emerged, including the motorcycle-riding LineFlyer and associated knockoffs Line Border (a snowboarder), Jeep Flyer, and Chair Flyer...
...Line Rider has its origins in pokey old-school video games like Pong as well as newer flash animations such as George W. Bush Freefall, which depicted the President as a ragdoll flopping between different sized orbs in a neverending pattern. Unlike those diversions, however, Line Rider requires users to use their imaginations and sketch out a unique path - which can range from a simple 45-degree angle to a wildly detailed rollercoaster ride with obstacles, bridges, tunnels, even hungry sharks...
...been amazing," says deviantART founder Angelo Sotira. "Line Rider has become an event. It's viral growth at its best." The website, which launched in Aug. 2000 and now has 3.5 million members, receives 50,000 new submissions each day and stores 26 million works online. Sotira says a new version of Line Rider is expected soon, hopefully one with an "erase" feature as many users have requested...
...find Line Rider in its original form here or a faster, downloadable version at here. Since its debut, the quirky program has also shown up on other sites such as the Independent Gaming Source, Squiddo and Fun-motion. Not surprisingly, players are saving and sharing their rad Line Rider stunts via YouTube, digg and various video blogs - hundreds of different clips are floating around, with our personal faves including "Helicopter Escape," "Trip to the Grave," and, yes, one set to Johnny Cash's I Walk the Line. Enjoy the ride...