WK3 Practice A: Games Using GPS

                The idea of GPS games is pretty interesting and could be taken pretty far if applied correctly. So far with the ones I tested the GPS feature is more of a novelty. I tried a few different types of games because this is the category I was most excited about. I was surprised at the number of war or mafia type games in this category. It seems like the GPS feature would lend more to the adventure games.

Here are the ones I tried:

Turf Wars: This one was top on a lot of lists for popular GPS games. It is pretty cool that the game overlaps your own city and that you could connect with people around you. There seem to be a lot of people that really like the game, when I was checking the stats of player in my area I was impressed with the high levels some of them achieved.

Map Monster: This one is a little less impressive. It’s basically a running around adventure game that is laid over a slightly altered map of you current location. There don’t seem to be any interaction point with your map. The avatar runs a little slower in the water, but other then that the GPS feature is wasted.

PlzStayClam: A zombie hunting RPG game. I spent the most time with this one. It might be because it was a zombie game, but it was fun also. There are quests that are linked to landmarks in your area. Once you achieve a vehicle you are given the option to explore other areas. When I was playing I did not se any other “survivors” in my area but that could be for any number of reasons.

Four Square: I’m not sure if this counts as a game. IT seemed like more of a social network geared towards stalking your friends but I didn’t spend too much time with it.

Geocaching: I was drawn to this one because it is a lot like letterboxing. You get clues to go out in the real world and find hidden items.

These games are just the tip of what could be done with GPS. They are a fun start but are just that, the beginning. It would be nice to see a combination of the zombie game and geocaching. Where you have an avatar that you control in the game world but you can earn points and equipment y solving clues and completing hunts in the real world. It would require a lot of content and participation by players but would be a lot of fun.