This has been evident with games such as Pokémon Go and VR Adventures initiating the shift which deviates from a simple screen to encompass the surroundings. Another new player in this space, Savelings, leverages the navigational hardware on mobile devices in order to transform the local area into the playable map for real prizes.
Once users download the app and create an account, their local neighborhood is then loaded with “eggs” which the players are able to capture. With the captured eggs, players can expect to receive a range of prizes as opposed to in-game currency or virtual goods. Through this, missing the opportunity to capture an egg is more costly as real cash, discounts, and other prizes are lost as opposed to rewards that are purely for entertainment. Drawing parallels to the extremely popular Pokémon Go, Savelings utilizes the environment as a significant aspect of the game, deviating from traditional games which require little to no physical movements. Furthermore, once at the indicated location of the eggs, players must engage in a “battle” with the “Savelings” which involves them using a slingshot to hit it. In this regard, the game is not purely about going from destination to destination, but also embodies an entertaining aspect that is designed to captivate players. [sc name=”quote” text=”Savelings leverages the navigational hardware on mobile devices in order to transform the local area into the playable map for real prizes.”]
With a vast range of available rewards that include Food & Drinks to Sports & Recreation, Savelings ensures that an applicable prize is available for any demographic of players. However, given that the game can span across entire neighborhoods, a significant amount of time must be allocated to collecting the eggs unless a player is in the immediate area where there are Savelings. Hence, it may be the case that players are only active on the game if they have a large amount of time to play. Furthermore, if the prizes are not significant enough, players may not find the value in dedicating time to finding the discounts if it does outweigh the monetary benefits which they receive. To counter this, the game can be played with friends to collect the eggs as a team and share the rewards in order to redeem even greater prizes. Through the ability to collect prizes as a group, each player may only be required to capture a few eggs and then pool their rewards together for even greater benefits and to save the time it would take for an individual player to collect all of the eggs themselves.
To create an interactive environment using existing streets and neighborhoods, Savelings couples aspects of navigational gaming with the ability to win real-life prizes through a captivating game. To be rewarded with cash, discounts, and other prizes, the game is highly recommended for both its entertainment and monetary value.