For the billions that are not participating in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games Microsoft has the perfect surrogate. Via Popfly, the Redmond company lets users get a shot at winning their own medals. But in addition to offering medals, Popfly also enables participants to rip the games and effectively build their own versions based on the content already available. Back in May 2008, the Redmond company took its Popfly web and mashup online tool to the next level with the introduction of the Popfly Game Creator. Designed to permit the creation of games without requiring developers to write a single line of code, the Popfly Game Creator is aimed at users with no professional background in game building.

But this is not to say that Microsoft's own coders, or additional game creators should ignore the tool. "Popfly lets me join in on the action by letting me play some Olympic style games. These were created by the Popfly team with Popfly Game Creator. There are 10 Olympic themed games in all," stated Senior Vice President of the Developer Division at Microsoft, S. "Soma" Somasegar.

The official invitation from Microsoft is for all the gamers that are missing out on the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. The promise is that Popfly is capable of delivering the same level of excitement as the real thing, and it doesn't even require a lifetime of intensive training or a ticket half way around the world. Furthermore, players can not only participate but also customize the games, and even build their own from scratch.

"For those of us who can't afford front-row seats at the Olympics, Popfly is proud to bring a veritable decathlon of games built using the Popfly Game Creator including Archery, Boxing, Diving, Gymnastics, Long Jump, Soccer, Synchronized Swimming, Track & Field, and Weightlifting," revealed a member of the Popfly team.