Topic: Whereigo

[idolminds]

Whereigo

Some of you may know that I go geocaching. Someone goes and hides a container of small (usually worthless) goodies somewhere, and posts the GPS coordinates of its location online. You go out and have fun finding it. Usually there is a log book to sign and you can take a goodie, or add a goodie for someone else to take. Thats pretty much it, but I enjoy it.

There are some variations on this, such as letterboxing. Like geocaching it involves hiding something somewhere. This time its just the log book and a stamp, like a rubber stamp. Everyone carves their own stamp and has a personal log book, and each caches has their own stamp and a log book. So you find the cache, stamp your log book with the cache stamp and stamp the cache logbook with your stamp. So you end up having fun finding it and have some interesting bits of art as a "prize."

Now I've learned about Whereigo, which gives the whole thing a videogame-like slant. Using some special software, you create a sort of text adventure for people to play. Only instead of typing "go west" to reach the next room, you actually walk west. You create the adventure as a series of "zones" on the map and players can only get to new zones by physically moving.

This is really interesting to me. You can make up some adventure about the place you have the players go and put imaginary NPCs and objects to "interact" with when you're in the right area. Or it doesn't have to be about the place the players are in. They could be hiking through the woods and in the game they are in a dank cave or something. Or you could even set up informative self-guided tours, so depending on where the person is standing they will get some information about the area or what they are seeing.

Sadly, I'd need a new GPS to participate. Either one that can hook up with a PocketPC, or buy a particular model GPS that has support for this already built in. It sounds totally fun, so who knows. I might end up doing it someday, and possibly making my own adventures or guides. I think it would be something cool for the conservation district.

[Quemaqua]

That does sound fun.  I'd totally try that.  I've been tempted for ages to get a GPS unit, but... money.

[gpw11]

Ok, so what exactly do you need for geocaching?  Just any old GPS unit?

[idolminds]

Yup. As long as you can put in coordinates and are able to get to them, thats all you really need.

[gpw11]

Damn, those motherfuckers aren't cheap.  Actually the car ones are pretty cheap but I don't think that would help.  Ideally I'd be able to find one that has a car dock and can be pulled out and operated on foot as well.

[Xessive]

I had a game on my Nokia N95 called The Journey, which was basically a location-based adventure game which uses a locater to assess your movement.

The Journey is a new and unique adventure game experience for your mobile phone. You are in the role of an infamous detective and have to solve a mysterious case not only by making it through the story, but also by walking to different locations.

Gone are the days where you watch a virtual character moving around on your display. Now you have to move yourself. The game is aware of your movement. Right at the beginning when you as the detective have to leave your bureau and go outside, you have to take your mobile and go through the streets of the city you live in.

The game saves the locations and in the course of the story you will have to return to your bureau and walk back to the place where you started playing.

A pretty funky idea but it kinda became tedious after a while.