The Amazing Race App

I have grown tired of hearing the previous generation going on about how games from their childhood were better than sitting in front of a screen and pushing buttons. I have to admit that video games have their limitations, but their awesomeness cannot be ignored. With the inception of the Wii and the Kinect, video games nowadays involve more physical exhertion, these still require you to be present in front of a TV screen. But why don't we have games that involve venturing out into the real world? Unfortunately wearing augmented reality specs and shooting virtual creatures that spawn in the real world is still too futuristic.

Apart from games, the other big pastime for kids is television. One of my favorite shows was “the amazing race” on AXN. The thrill of watching people racing against someone (or time) to overcome obstacles was entertaining. I think it was these same elements that made Dan Brown's books so exhilarating to read. If watching/reading it is fun, playing it is twice so. One of the most fun times I ever had was playing treasure hunt with Kushal and Arun at Mood Indigo. But why cant we do it more often? Because you need a big team of organizers to set up these games, but that was before the age of mobile phones. You can probably see where I am going with this. :-)

Let us consider the hypothetical game in my mind. One phone represents a team. The teams meet up at a single point. (Use GPS to trigger this). Once the game starts they will get different clues that will lead to their next pit-stop. Here they will be given a certain question regarding the location/monument which refers to a specific part of it. Solving this will point towards a certain part of the monument. Maybe a  statue/painting/fountain. (Use your imagination ;-p ) The team has to take a picture of this item and send it to he server where it checks whether the answer is right or wrong and awards them the next clue and so on. First one to the final pit-stop wins.

Of course you can add many things to this.  Using GPS, the teams can keep track of how far the other teams have progressed. Add a scavenger list and budget restrictions. We can have time-outs where teams can choose a time penalty to get the location of the next pit-stop. The teams in front will be getting harder questions. etc etc. The tough part will be collecting enough data to generate maps or clues to play at different locations. Also to make the content large and dynamic enough so that its enjoyable for frequent players. 

This is yet another silly idea that came into my head. A quick Google check shows that no such app currently exists. I think this would be a fun way to spend a day with your friends and to explore your city. What do you think? Please leave your comments below.