+eigengott Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 I think geocaching is much more archaic than hobby, sport or game. It's a hunt. Quote Link to comment
+flask Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 i do not think this word "archaic" means what you think it means. Quote Link to comment
+eigengott Posted June 3, 2009 Share Posted June 3, 2009 i do not think this word "archaic" means what you think it means. I'm not a native speaker, sorry. Still I think that geocaching (at least: non-urban geocaching) triggers the same kind of fun our ancestors in the stone age had when they did a "hunt" for deer, water sources, useful stones etc. And our brains are very well setup for it (evolutionary heritage). While I often have trouble finding a certain piece of paper in the small confinement of my flat, I have no trouble at all to re-visit almost any of the geocaches I found so far - without a GPS receiver. Quote Link to comment
modernman Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 I like to think of it as a sport because when someone asks me what geocaching is I can reply "it's the sport of kings!" The hobby of kings doesn't have the same ring to it. Quote Link to comment
knowschad Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Did I already mention "activity" Thought so. Flask: " if i like you i might bring you some of my black trumpets" Oh yeah, baby!!!! And I will trade for King Boletes. Never have found black trumpets, and my spot for chanterelles hasn't been fruitful for several years. Found my first tooth fungi last year. Oh, wait... the topic... OK... it's an activity. Like mushroom hunting. Did I already say that? Quote Link to comment
+UTDARCY Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Just my two cents..... I think for most it is a Hobby - something we do to pass the time. For some though it is a game. Those who do Puzzles, and multi's and such could be considered Gamers. then for a select few it has become a sport. How many can they find, or how hard can they make it to find a cache or going after the infamous 5/5 caches. all in all I think it is a combination of the three. It is more of a Gaming hobby that involves some sportsmanship. I mean after all couldn't we just log the same 50 caches 100 times and say we found 5000 caches ??????? there is a degree of sportsmanship in the geocache society written or not. So my final asnwer is ---- it is a Recreational Activity as previously stated Quote Link to comment
+Curioddity Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 For me it's often therapy. Especially when I do it on my way home from work. Pete Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 ...so, vote, and give your opinions.... Best one I've heard is RASH. Recreatinional Activity Sport Hobby. Quote Link to comment
+bittsen Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Many people refer to this as a sport, but I can't say that I agree with that...at least not yet. I would like to get input from members here as to what you view this as. Even if you have over 1000 caches, I could see it being a game Even if you are a hardcore hiker (I LOVE to backpack/hike and do it a LOT), I don't know that this "portion" of a hike could be a sport, EVEN if you consider hiking a sport... I see it more as a hobby. This is something that I do when I get the chance, for fun, and I don't get too competitive with it (those who do could argue for the game designation). so, vote, and give your opinions. EDIT: So...this site doesn't let you creat polls ...ok, then just post up what you think it is and maybe I'll keep a running tally, It's a SPORT Just look on the front page for this graphic Quote Link to comment
GOF and Bacall Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Many people refer to this as a sport, but I can't say that I agree with that...at least not yet. I would like to get input from members here as to what you view this as. Even if you have over 1000 caches, I could see it being a game Even if you are a hardcore hiker (I LOVE to backpack/hike and do it a LOT), I don't know that this "portion" of a hike could be a sport, EVEN if you consider hiking a sport... I see it more as a hobby. This is something that I do when I get the chance, for fun, and I don't get too competitive with it (those who do could argue for the game designation). so, vote, and give your opinions. EDIT: So...this site doesn't let you creat polls ...ok, then just post up what you think it is and maybe I'll keep a running tally, It's a SPORT Just look on the front page for this graphic Well, you have spoken. Quote Link to comment
+bittsen Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Well, you have spoken. It wasn a AHA moment... I felt it needed emphasis. Quote Link to comment
porico Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 (edited) It's definitely not a sport because a sport must envolve some form of competition. However, I would say that it is a hobby as hobbies are often games... Edited June 5, 2009 by porico Quote Link to comment
+Curioddity Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 So what seems to be so wrong with "recreational activity"? Too pedestrian? It wasn't one of the choices? As far as I'm concerned, it covers sport, hobby, and game quite elegantly. Pete Quote Link to comment
Aquanalie Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 (edited) I most probably think it's a Hobby! Edited June 5, 2009 by Aquanalie Quote Link to comment
Turrry Posted June 5, 2009 Author Share Posted June 5, 2009 So what seems to be so wrong with "recreational activity"? Too pedestrian? It wasn't one of the choices? As far as I'm concerned, it covers sport, hobby, and game quite elegantly. Pete Absolutely nothing wrong with that definition...I think it fits quite well actually. I couldn't post a poll so there really is no limit on what it can be called. Quote Link to comment
Metalman77 Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 It's a way to spend time with friends and family out of the house having fun, getting some sun, exercise.......just being together. We're fairly new to the "activity" and enjoy it, as a family! So to me, it's not a sport, game, or hobby. It's memories being made! Quote Link to comment
4wheelin_fool Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 (edited) It's like a box of chocolate.. Edited June 6, 2009 by 4wheelin_fool Quote Link to comment
+Merlin1978 Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 It's like a box of chocolate.. ha ha, it's obvious that Geocaching is many things to different people and that of course depends of the person doing it. To in answer to the OP it's all of these things and more. For me personally it's another excuse to see places I have never seen before and I get a real buzz from looking for items hidden by other people and being part of something that most people are blissfully unaware of Quote Link to comment
Haku340 Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Hobby, Game, Some-Absurd-Version-Of-A-Sport, and a recreational activity. Haku340 Quote Link to comment
+JCrew 405 Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 I think it is some kind of addiction. THIS IS TAKING OVER MY LIFE!!!! Quote Link to comment
knowschad Posted June 6, 2009 Share Posted June 6, 2009 Sorry... I haven't been following this thread... have we arrived at a conclusion yet? Quote Link to comment
+flask Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Still I think that geocaching (at least: non-urban geocaching) triggers the same kind of fun our ancestors in the stone age had when they did a "hunt" for deer, water sources, useful stones etc. And our brains are very well setup for it (evolutionary heritage). i think this is true. geocaching very closely mimics foraging, which has been linked in studies to mood elevation. Best one I've heard is RASH. Recreatinional Activity Sport Hobby. that's the WORST one i've ever heard, if the objective is communication. "do you play any sports?" "yes, i have a RASH." "don't want to know about it." i suppose it's a great term if what you want to do is create confusion and unpleasant associations that must be explained away. It's definitely not a sport because a sport must envolve some form of competition. that's just silly. i'd have to say the COMPETITIVE sports involve competition, but there are plenty of sports that do not require competition. of course, if you're mentally stuck at american football, just wrinkle up your furry brow, shrug your massive shoulders, and wander off. i'm pretty sure that mountain biking is a sport whether or not i've put on a number. interestingly, if nobody shows up to race me, it's not a competition. granted, you can turn anything into a competition, which is how i got to the potato peeling biathlon. you can also compete over who can take the coldest shower or sleep the soundest. that doesn't make either of those things sports. and the easiest way to get to my huge and reliable trumpet patch is over a mile and a half of rough mountain biking trail. i have yet to devise a really reliable way to transport them out of there without bruising. Quote Link to comment
+OmegaLimit Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 I think it is a bit dangerous to think of geocaching as a sport. In my mind, one of the key aspects of a sport is that all participants agree to compete according to the same rules. However, after reading a few forum posts, any geocacher would see that not everybody geocaches the same way. The forums appear to be full of posts of the form “I’m a better geocacher than you.” It is like the people on the highway who think they are driving in a NASCAR event. Those people are (literally) wrecking our commutes. To me, thinking of geocaching as a game is a fine, if you think of it as a game between the hider and the seeker. The hider has challenged all geocachers to find their cache. I am pretty sure that rogheff thinks that way. It’s fun to be able to get in the heads of prolific hiders in your area. Perhaps the most positive way to think of geocaching is as an opportunity. I’ve seen and learned quite a bit while geocaching. For me, the exploration around geocaches is a positive experience, the occasional animal carcass aside. Also, going off the highway to get a cache is a better vacation side trip than a very large ball of string. BTW: A noncompetitive sport is called “transportation” or “exercise.” I suppose “very sweaty, sometimes brief vacation” could also apply. Quote Link to comment
+OldLog Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 To me it is a hobby. What ever your reason is have fun doing it. Quote Link to comment
+JATurtle Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 Hiking is a sport. Geocaching is an obsession. Quote Link to comment
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