Remember the school days when all of us will huddle together around an Atlas and try to pinpoint a location around the world that was quite fun, no? Well, if the good old world map still excites you, you’re in luck. Read along to find out about Geoguessr and why it is so awesome.
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The atlas game comes alive
Not everyone would remember, but in 2013 a small browser game made quite a buzz. It was called Geoguessr.
Designed by Anton Wallén. It is based on the age-old concept of geographic discovery. The player has dropped onto a random spot anywhere around the world and is given a 360-degree view of his surroundings. By using Google Street View, the player can move back and forth within a small radius. The objective is to guess the right location by pinning it on google maps.
Anton Wallén says that the inspiration for making the game came from his habit of spending a lot of time visiting faraway locations on Google Street View. He decided to make a game that made people feel like they are visiting those places.
The games use Backbone.js JavaScript library and version 3 of the Google Maps API for games using Google Street View. Mapillary is used to provide a free map for the locations.
The game was submitted on Google Chrome Experiments by the developer in May 2013 and came out the same month.
The gameplay was pretty simple and addictive. The players can use the various street signs or the flags or emblems on the road to identify the place. Sometimes there also can be some identifiable monument.
Points from 0 to 5000 were awarded depending on how close the player’s guess as to the actual location.
But despite all this, the game went out from the top buzz in just a matter of weeks. Until then, the Google Street View had covered very little of the world, so the locations were largely random American highways, Australian towns, and some Canadian bits, which weren’t very appealing to players worldwide.
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The Rebirth of Geoguessr
Fast forward to 2020; google street view has increased loads. It now covers most of the places around the globe.
This has worked quite in favor of Geoguessr developers. The game now can cater to a wider range of players. The game incorporated user photos of places worldwide, and now it has multiple modes such as “the abandoned places” mode or “the famous places” mode. The players can also play specific countries like the United States or the European Union etc.
The gameplay has also improved loads. Recently, a battle royale mode has also been released. The player can compete with other players worldwide in a limited time contest; it’s actually pretty fun.
Try our latest game mode Battle Royale!
Everyone spawns at the same location, but hurry up! One player is eliminated at each round until only one player remains. Good luck! pic.twitter.com/q1azRsU5f4
— GeoGuessr (@geoguessr) December 18, 2020
So, Geoguessr, a pretty innovative idea to start with, is now quite an interesting game to spend your time on.
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