Most video games ask little else of players than to dedicate 10 hours or so of their time to save a virtual princess or prevent the world's destruction.

But what if a game challenged players in real life and required them to develop and utilize skills beyond button-mashing or Wii-mote waving? (Very cute) Game designer Jane McGonigal and the team behind upcoming alternate reality game (or ARG) "EVOKE" wants to find out.

We got in touch with McGonigal to find out just what "EVOKE" actually is, and why people should be paying attention.

To hear exactly what "EVOKE" entails is to immediately be struck by the scope of the venture. It's at once a pie-in-the-sky project based around empowering people to make positive changes to the world around them, but based around social gaming conventions to lure in people familiar with online games. "EVOKE" is like "World of Warcraft," but instead of vanquishing orcs you're fighting hunger; instead of raiding dark dungeons, groups band together to solve the energy crisis. If it sounds like a game with an agenda, that's because it is.

"The game is meant to be a springboard for real projects and inventions," McGonigal explains. Over the course of 10 weeks, players will be tasked with one mission and one quest to complete each week. By finishing these missions and quests, players will, in theory, walk away with a diverse skill set which can in turn be used in the real world.

"We do hope the game will have a ripple effect when it's over," admits McGonigal. "That's why we're planning to partner [top] players with online mentors, so that after they've finished the 10 missions -- and have invented their own idea for a new venture or social enterprise -- they can get help developing the idea further, finding collaborators, and working on a business plan."

10 weeks may sound like a lot of time to ask people to stay focused on "EVOKE," but McGonigal is confident that the familiar trappings of MMO (massively multiplayer online) games -- combined with an online graphic novel written by the director of "G4M3RS" Kiyash Monsef and illustrated by Jacob Glaser -- will win over gamers and non-gamers alike.

"It can be tough to engage anyone online for an extended period of time - but game developers are master of it," McGonigal states. "That's why we've borrowed classic MMORPG leveling up systems and online gaming achievement systems. In "EVOKE," you're leveling up in world-changing superpowers like creativity and resourcefulness. You're unlocking achievements by completing real social innovation missions. Even though much of the game material is real and important and serious, you get the motivational push of game dynamics and the rewards and satisfactions of making real progress. Plus, it's a social network, and once you start making friends with other players, there's all the social stickiness that involves."

Sound like your type of "game"? Addicted to Xbox 360 achievements to the point you want them to pop up in real life? Check out the official site where you can reserve a spot in the game which launches March 3.

McGonigal just has one request: "Don't play if you're not prepared to start acting like a superhero in your real life!"