This dual presentation will explore common play elements in location-based games. We’ll analyze the popular "Check-In" mechanic (used by products like FourSquare and GoWalla), and take a look at the business and social forces that have influenced its emergence as the popular geo game model. The presentation will compare current location-based products, charting their strengths and weaknesses to identify where we believe large areas of opportunity exist in the market. We'll evaluate the challenges and untapped opportunities of Geo Games from the technological and design perspectives of the two presenters. We’ll outline how the limitations in location technology can be an elegant part of the game design itself, and how new innovations will help to create richer and more immersive parallel worlds. We’ll describe why we think its time to move beyond "social" Check-In systems, to “true games” that engage, challenge, and stimulate players.
John-Paul is a founder of Dokogeo, a startup with a mission to build location-based games that engage and challenge players. Dokogeo built the award-winning Seek ’n Spell, the first real-time location-based game for iPhone and Android. Dokogeo recently completed Dokobots — a Geo Game played in the real world where players pick up traveling robot friends and help them in their journeys as they explore our planet.
In 2007 John-Paul founded Retronyms, a design and engineering company focused on next-gen platforms like the iPhone and iPad. With Retronyms, he’s designed and built many successful iOS products including the top selling Recorder, and the popular FourTrack.
John-Paul has over 10 years of experience creating interactive and visual design for desktop, web, and mobile applications. He has a B.S./M.A. in Visual Communication Design from Kent State University, and believes good design will make people fall in love with a product. John-Paul’s work has won dozens of national design awards and has been featured in publications such as Graphic Design USA, Communication Arts, and Graphis.
Zach is a founder of Dokogeo, a startup with a mission to build location-based games that are FUN to play. Dokogeo has built two games so far. The first is Seek 'n Spell, the first real-time location-based game for the iPhone and Android that you play by running around in a park. The second game is Dokobots, a parallel world built on top of our own in which the player finds traveling robot friends and helps them in their journeys as they explore our planet.
Zach is also a founder of Retronyms, a successful, bootstrapped software studio. He has a Ph.D. in Computer Science from UC Davis, where he studied the science of complex networks (e.g., social networks).
