QR codes explained

QR Codes seem to be everywhere these days, and each has a unique destination. Ellie gives you a look at some of the most popular QR code reading apps for your mobile device and where to find these elusive codes!

In The Netherlands QR codes are used for a game i discovered called Het DamSpel.
I'm planning to play it soon and write a review for this site.

Do you have good exampes of QR in public?

Play virtual landgrab game on a windows phone

Land O'War is a location-based game that allows users to play against others and gain land and resources. It is a project done by a group of Singapore Management University (SMU) students for the course - Mobile and Pervasive Technology. It can be downloaded via Windows Marketplace.

De Leguanen - Alternate reality game trailer

De Leguanen is een Nederlandse Alternate Reality Game. De spelers van deze game gingen begin 2011 aan de hand van raadsels over het erfgoed van Breda op zoek naar smartphones. Om zo de opa van Eef te redden uit de handen van het privacy verwoestende data mining bedrijf, Panopticom.

The Iguanas is a dutch Alternate Reality Game. The players of this game started early 2011 on the basis of puzzles about the cultural heritage of Breda. The searching for smartphones. So they can save the grandfather of Eef from the destructive hands of the privacy data mining company, Panopticom.

Coderunner: An undercover mission of hacking, spying, sabotage and murder.

Last week i played this iPhone game intensively and it has made quite an impression. What an intriguing way to play spy. I'm hooked!
The game uses public info like the location of ATM machines and medical institutions around you wich makes it a local experience however it can be played anywhere in the world.

The game was developed by podcast pioneer, writer and actor Jeff Macpherson who is the founder of tikibartv.

Coderunnergame website.

LvL App preview

LvL App is a location-based gaming application that applies game principles to a real world setting.

Any user can ‘drop’ a challenge on a certain location, which others can attempt to complete. You can earn real rewards from stores in your neighborhood by adding challenges and completing other users’ challenges.

I think this game is still in development because i cannot find it in the App Store or Android Market.

Record, analyse and share your ski track!

Take your phone out skiing!
One of America's largest ski resort companies is hoping to make the sport even more social this season, with a location-based gaming app it's calling Epic Mix.
Vail Resorts, owners of resorts in Colorado and California debuted the mobile and web-based application at a press event at the Ace Hotel in Manhattan.

When the mountains open in November, Epic Mix will allow visitors to the resorts to track the runs they completed, log their vertical feet as a score, unlock achievement 'Pins' and access several utilities, both in iPhone and Android apps and at epicmix.com.

The project combines lots of location-based service and gaming elements; rewards for varied experience, social sharing of vertical feet in a leaderboard and more.

RFID enabled
Perhaps the most interesting feature of the Epic Mix tracking system is it works on the RFID chips in skiiers' passes. There's no fumbling with your phone on the lift to check in to a run. When your pass is scanned at the lift, you're checked in, and no constant GPS contact and battery drain is required, like North Face's Trailhead iPhone app.

Game mechanics make you run like hell!

Zombies, Run! is an ultra-immersive running game for the iPhone, iPod Touch, and Android. We deliver the story straight to your headphones through orders and voice recordings - and back home, you can build and grow your base with the items you've collected.

Run Anywhere
Zombies, Run! works anywhere and at any speed. You can jog in a park, run along a beach, or walk along a trail, even on treadmills!

A World of Stories
Where did the zombies come from? What are the leaders of your base planning? There’s a deeper mystery to be uncovered, puzzles to be solved, websites to be discovered, documents to be viewed so you can learn the truth of what’s happened to the world.

Better Fitness Through Science
Zombies, Run! records the distance, time, pace, and calories burned of all your runs, and we're planning RunKeeper integration. You can also hear audio notifications for time, distance, and pace during your run.

This new outdoor game gets everybody moving!

StraatGolf - GPS iPhone Game from Eelco Romeijn on Vimeo.

NISB StreetGolf is a free, location-based game for iOs devices. Swing your iPhone like a real golfclub. You play 3 virtual holes in your direct surroundings on Google maps. 1 to 4 people can play by sharing 1 iPhone. It makes walking around with your fellow workers during a lunchbreak so much fun!

Only available in The Netherlands.

PacMan returns to your area with a UFO!

Home Invasion is a location-based game for android devices.
Aliens invade your neighborhood and you are one of them! You control your spaceship by walking outside in your neighborhood. Yes! You have to go outside to play this game. To play, you need a constant GPS signal, a working internet connection and some nearby roads.

Your mission is to destroy all the targets that your overlords have placed. Those are indicated through green glowing dots. To destroy them you have to get them into your laser range. For each destroyed target you will get a point. But beware! Military is informed and trys to stop you. Don't get into the fire range of the tanks or they will destroy you.

The developer of this fun game first published it as a location-based version of PacMan (called PacMap) but was forced to remove it from the market due to copyright issues. The concept and gameplay hasn't changed that much however.

Playing the GoGame app with Veronica Belmont

Veronica Belmont is a technology and gaming-centric video host based out of San Francisco.
An avid gamer and social-networking junkie (with over 1 million Twitter followers), Veronica often speaks about her interests at conferences and panels.

Your city is a game. Pick up the phone...

Shadow Cities is a location based multiplayer game for iPhone. Become a Mage and take over your streets and neighborhoods with your team.

2 Dutch girls discover a new sport: Figure Running

Everybody loves playing outside. Figurerunning is a new sport that encourages you to get creative, go outside and discover new places while running and getting fit. The competition is not about your running speed or distance, it’s all about drawing. Become a master the art of Figurerunning. Do it when and wherever you want and be sure to share your art with your friends. The world is our canvas and you are the pencil!

Every serious sport wants to be recognised by the IOC’s Olympic Programme Commission. Their mission is to be included in the Olympic Programme of Rio de Janeiro 2016.

Take part and run figures!

Play The Go Game like it's your job!

The Go Game App is a location-based game that’s part scavenger hunt, part mobile party and full-on fun. They have run over 5,000 street-level games since 2002 and now they are bringing the party to the iPhone.

Awesome Content
Unlike other games that ask you to do the writing, they have done all the work for you. Game experts have scouted thousands of landmarks, bars, cafes, and other urban gems and written clever clues that will set up a range of hilarious experiences perfect for any occasion.

It’s Customizable
Got a Bachelorette party coming up? Company offsite? Birthday? The Go Game team has done them all and know how to bring the fun to each and every occasion. Now you can customize the Go Game App to create the experience you want for your group. Simply select your city and occasion, then pick how risqué you want your game to be and… BAM, you’re ready to rock in less than 3 minutes.

Read a review at Mobile Beat

Post something on my real wall...

‘Dead Drops’ is an anonymous, offline, peer to peer file-sharing network in public space. USB flash drives are embedded into walls, buildings and curbs accessable to anybody in public space. Everyone is invited to drop or find files on a dead drop. Plug your laptop to a wall, house or pole to share your favorite files and data. Each dead drop is installed empty except a readme.txt file explaining the project. ‘Dead Drops’ is open to participation. If you want to install a dead drop in your city/neighborhood follow the ‘how to’ instructions and submit the location and pictures. I will do that asap. What a fantastic idea Aram!

Created by German artist Aram Bartholl.

Location-based game as a marketing tool in Sweden. Win a Mini!

11.000 people were active with this game during the campaign.
The complete results are shown in this video here.
I think it's a great way to put a product on the map.

First Location Based Game for iPhone and Android Launches New Version

Parallel Kingdom is the first massively multi-player role playing game (MMORPG) to use the GPS capabilities of smartphones to incorporate a player’s actual location into the game. Parallel Kingdom can be played on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and Google Android devices.

The first version, Parallel Kingdom – The Age of Exploration, was introduced October 31, 2008. The second version, Parallel Kingdom – The Age of Gathering was launched March 28, 2009 and had over 75,000 active player accounts when it ended November 9, 2009. The game and its popularity have improved dramatically with each new Age, and PerBlue expects the upcoming version to continue that trend.

To find out more about the app, you can watch this tutorial.

Outdoor GPS game lets players run like hell to avoid virtual bombs!

Bomb Disposal Squad (working title) is a GPS computer game that can be played on a range of smartphones outdoors. Locomatrix labs in Brighton will be producing the game in the next few months. This old-timey video should provide an example of a few things that may happen in the world of virtual bomb disposal.

Locomatrix Labs website.

Play mobile Football with your friends

Created by Dutch company "The Saints"

Make the world your golf course!

With the flick of a button Gigaputt transforms your neighborhood into an exciting 3-hole mini-golf course, complete with popping manholes, treacherous fire hydrants, and giant coins. With each new game Gigaputt creates a course starting from where you stand and gives you the option to either walk the course like the pros using your iPhone's GPS, or play from the comfort of your living room.

Gigaputt uses intuitive gesture-based controls that allow you to swing your iPhone like a real golf club and send the ball sailing over your neighborhood. While easy to play, mastering the game takes skill and finesse - swing too hard and you'll slice the ball sending it veering away from your target.

Once you've perfected your swing compete against your friends to see who can collect the most coins while still coming in under par. Up to 4 players can play on the same phone.

See your neighborhood in a new light! Catch a quick round of golf wherever you are! With Gigaputt the world is your fairway!

As featured in The New York Times and Gizmodo.

Megabrands Disney and CocaCola create a location-based game

Coca-Cola and Walt Disney, two of the most recognizable brands in the world, have teamed up to launch LiveCycle, a location-based mobile game promoting Coke Zero and Disney’s “Tron: Legacy” film.

Read the complete story about this case at MobileMarketer.