Taking GPS Games to the Next Level

Earlier today on PSFK I came across a posting from Hamburg about an awesome GPS-based game showcased in this year's Ars Electronica Festival. There are several cool thing about this game: it offers an immersive multiplayer experience that is based on the concept of a "hungry pack of wolves chasing after a sheep herd"; to succeed players have to react to real- and virtual-world obstacles on their pursuit; to impact the game players can also place real objects that have virtual properties; lastly, it enables "visitors" to keep track of the game's progress on a real-time map that keep track of the location of the wolves and sheep (players). Check out the video on the original posting on PSFK.

The Evolution of Location-Based Services

I have never been a big fan of GPS. This is not to say that I have anything against this technology, instead this is a product of my being a New Yorker who rarely lives the city (and has a need for such devices). Recently my perspective has begun to change as more interesting location based services have started to pop up. On this topic, here are two interesting links regarding location based services:

Little Spring Design: Location services beyond maps, directions, and local search. Here you will find a list of ideas for services based on GPS technology coupled with understanding of human beings (funny how it helps to add in the human understanding). Some of these services already exists while others I only wish they did. On service idea that I would personally like to lobby for is to be able to check the bus arrival time for the nearest stop on the M15 bus route in Manhattan. Bloomberg please help.

Jennifer Killian (Frog Design): Meriam case study. This is a video about a GPS navigation system that was released in Europe last year. This system definitely shows how GPS systems are quickly moving from functional tools that have been engineered to emotional tools that are designed.