All Points Bulletin (APB)

Guildford, UK - 14th July 2010: To launch new online multiplayer game APB: All Points Bulletin for EA Games and Real Time Worlds, Dare are ‘launching’ a real human into a game.

Now underway and at Stage 3 of the Human Avatar activity, over 10,000 people have voted already for 25 year old Freerunner Josh to be their Human Avatar and undergo a total transformation over the coming weeks, in keeping with San Paro - the fictional city in which the game is set.

Dare has created a dedicated site at www.humanavatar.com where the voters decided the haircut picked from different San Paro themed styles: Red Devil, Da Fade, Skins, Cyber Punk, Shockr or Mohawk. Cyber Punk came in as clear favourite receiving 44% of the votes. Go to the site to watch Josh going ‘under the scissors’ at the hands of leading London hair designer, Darren Evans.

Next up, the voting gets more gruesome: Piercing voting is underway and closes at 12.00 noon on Thursday 15th July.

Josh currently only has nature’s standard issue number of holes, and has admitted to be slightly nervous about how the public will vote. You now get to pick whether the piercing studio fits one of the following: Brow stud, Iron Cross, Snout Ring, Tribal, Steel Hoops, or Spikes.

Leaving Urban Designers hair stylists in Spitalfields Market, London, Josh says: “I’m definitely getting some weird looks now.” Pleased with his three-tiered Mohawk in bright blue, he added, “I’m a bit worried about what piercing the public will pick for me, but I’ll have to wait and see.”

After piercing, Josh will undergo further public mutilation-by-mouse-click as the tattoo stage begins.

The experiment has provoked strong reactions from the public:

“Oh god who would let themselves turn themselves into what people in APB make their characters look like? that would be insane, now I must see it D:.”

“I love this promotion. It is definitely at the core of its design and the heart of this game you to be free to express yourself. I am a big fan of this title for that reason."

“This is sick, it's wrong and I find it hard to believe that people actually put themselves forward to be used as "human avatars".

About APB:

APB: All Points Bulletin is a persistent online multiplayer action game where Criminals and Enforcers find daily conflict with each other in a constant struggle for power in San Paro. Like the real world, San Paro is constantly on, there is no offline, no escape and no let-up from the action once you are in-game. It is a living, breathing, constantly evolving world where players are the core focus of the action through their conflicts, creativity and sought after celebrity statuses. For more information about The Human Avatar log onto www.thehumanavatar.com from 5th July and follow @human_avatar on twitter. For more information about APB: All Points Bulletin log on to www.apb.com.

For more information about The Human Avatar log onto www.thehumanavatar.com from 5th July and follow http://twitter.com/human_avatar on twitter.

For more information about APB: All Points Bulletin log on to www.apb.com.