May 14th, 2008 by Arjan Olsder Posted in Location Based Gaming | No Comments »
Markus Montola talked about the possibilities to be creative with the location in location based (mobile) games. One of the big problem is that nearly all games are more or less the same.
Markus Montola says the industry should not only look at the technological obstacles, but also at the consumer’s perspective to the LBS games. With all the treasure hunts, and even pac-man like games, people might quickly get bored as it’s pretty much the same.
One good example to differentiate is to do some urban exploring via a mobile LBS game. Games could lead gamers to new physical locations in the real world. LBS games could for example take place on the sewers of a city, or even an abandoned factory.
Another great thing is the social aspect. A mobile LBS game could trigger Flashmob like events, but even lead players with pillows to a place where they can fight each other. LBS games can even have time as an extra element. When it rains, players could get a message that they suddenly need to run outside for bonus points, or just see a beautiful sunrise. This can also be used for advertising as an LBS game could lead players to certain spots like Burger King.
So how can enough interesting local content be generated in a cost efficient manner?
