>>> Games & Traveling: Geocaching + Open World Games

[Shakmatton 1]

Hello geocachers!
Greetings! This is the first time I create a topic here.

I am a brazilian geocacher (and, by the way, I welcome you all, inviting everyone to know my country by looking for the caches spread all over Brazil! :)

 

But besides being a geocacher, I am also an academic researcher. And today, that is the reason why I am creating this topic.
(I hope I am not breaking any forum rules ... but if I happen to be, please let me know, so that I can correct my fault).

 

Well, right now I'm starting to study about the experience of players playing while traveling (or traveling while playing).
More specifically, players who, while playing, can explore or go on tour over various environments (cities, countries, rural locations, nature areas, and so on).

 

So, I am thinking of developing an analysis over this subject, starting from the observation of two specific games. One of them is Geocaching, for the reasons mentioned above.

The other game is yet to be defined, but it must be (necessarily) an Open World type (due to the possibility of exploring and touring on virtual worlds, using maps and/or GPS, and so on).

 

Therefore, I would like to count on your participation, opinion or support.
Do you (or someone you know) play Geocaching AND ALSO other classic digital games* ?

 

* (In this case, I refer to the classic digital games as those referring to worldwide renowned series, such as Grand Theft Auto, Assassin's Creed, The Witcher, The Elder Scrolls - Skyrim, World of Warcraft, and the like).

 

-----------------------

 

To sum up: the idea of this topic is to talk a little bit with you here, about the subject of "Games & Travel", taking into consideration your experiences/adventures as Geocaching players and [insert name of Open World game you play here] players. 

 

To those interested in the subject, wherever in the world you are, I thank you very much for your participation!
(and sorry for the long text :)

 

Hope to talk to you all!

Until next time!

 

[+funkymunkyzone 295]

How much time does someone have to devote to a "classicdigital game" to be considered an appropriate subject for your study?  I will on occasional play some GTA (on a friend's PS4), and in the distant past have played The Elder Scrolls, but rarely do I currently have the time.  I do however travel a lot, and geocaching is a big part of the travel.

[+hzoi 964]

15 hours ago, Shakmatton said:

Do you (or someone you know) play Geocaching AND ALSO other classic digital games* ?

 

I do.  Obviously, I geocache, have since 2007. 

 

As far as open world games, I have played a number on PS3, PS Vita, and PS4 since I got a PS3 in 2009: Skyrim; Fallout 3, 4, and New Vegas; several versions of Assassins Creed; Horizon Zero Dawn; Infamous; The Saboteur; Red Dead Redemption 1 & 2; Mafia III; Just Cause 3 & 4; Saints Row; Destiny 1 & 2; Borderlands 1 & 2; Far Cry 3, 4, 5, etc.; Tom Clancy's Division 1 & 2 ... can't call them all to mind at the moment, but I think that covers a few.  You could argue that some of the NES titles I used to play qualify: Legend of Zelda, Dragon Warrior, and Final Fantasy.  And maybe even Apple II games like Ultima...yeah, I'm going to stop listing now.  I've played a lot.

 

I tend to game like I cache: as more of a solo or small group project than multiplayer, done when I have the time and not in conjunction with someone else's schedule.  I've dabbled in open world games with MMORPG elements (example: Destiny) but haven't really followed through with full time MMORPGs like World of Warcraft.

 

Happy to follow up with more with you one on one.

Edited August 15 by hzoi

[+TheLimeCat 65]

Skyrim and the Witcher 3 are two of my favorites of all time. The Witcher's Skellige is a fantastic piece of work. I love alpine environments when I'm playing, and more importantly, when I'm geocaching. Both games remind me very much of the upper reaches of Washington state, but the Witcher is my favorite of the two. That said, I'm unclear about what your goal is in connecting these subjects. They are not dissimilar, but what's the goal?

[Shakmatton 1]

On 8/15/2019 at 2:29 AM, funkymunkyzone said:

How much time does someone have to devote to a "classicdigital game" to be considered an appropriate subject for your study?  I will on occasional play some GTA (on a friend's PS4), and in the distant past have played The Elder Scrolls, but rarely do I currently have the time.  I do however travel a lot, and geocaching is a big part of the travel.

 

Hello funkymunkyzone, thanks for the reply!

 

Well, I think the real amount of time needed depends more on the depth of his/her experience, and less about the time spent playing. For instance, in my case, I have never played the game Red Dead Redemption - but I suppose I will act on the game/people/environment/etc, in unique ways, and also, react/respond to the environment of the game in certain ways. If this experience is remarkable, even though I could've played it just for a few hours in my lifetime, then I see that this might possibly make me "an appropriate subject".

 

On 8/15/2019 at 11:25 AM, hzoi said:

 

I do.  Obviously, I geocache, have since 2007. 

 

As far as open world games, I have played a number on PS3, PS Vita, and PS4 since I got a PS3 in 2009: Skyrim; Fallout 3, 4, and New Vegas; several versions of Assassins Creed; Horizon Zero Dawn; Infamous; The Saboteur; Red Dead Redemption 1 & 2; Mafia III; Just Cause 3 & 4; Saints Row; Destiny 1 & 2; Borderlands 1 & 2; Far Cry 3, 4, 5, etc.; Tom Clancy's Division 1 & 2 ... can't call them all to mind at the moment, but I think that covers a few.  You could argue that some of the NES titles I used to play qualify: Legend of Zelda, Dragon Warrior, and Final Fantasy.  And maybe even Apple II games like Ultima...yeah, I'm going to stop listing now.  I've played a lot.

 

I tend to game like I cache: as more of a solo or small group project than multiplayer, done when I have the time and not in conjunction with someone else's schedule.  I've dabbled in open world games with MMORPG elements (example: Destiny) but haven't really followed through with full time MMORPGs like World of Warcraft.

 

Happy to follow up with more with you one on one.

 

Hey hazoi! Thanks for the feedback!

 

I find it Interesting that your background with locative-based games and multi-generation open-world digital games is broad. This makes me think about the way people play both genre of games (searching for achievement, conquering, competing, exploring, chatting, learning, relaxing, fooling around, etc). I wonder how exactly people play those games, when wandering through the game space (virtual or real)...

 

I also suppose the preference for single-player game style (including caching time) might correlate with the experience of traveling (in real life) as "single-traveler", or in small groups of family or friends. What do you think?

 

23 hours ago, TheLimeCat said:

Skyrim and the Witcher 3 are two of my favorites of all time. The Witcher's Skellige is a fantastic piece of work. I love alpine environments when I'm playing, and more importantly, when I'm geocaching. Both games remind me very much of the upper reaches of Washington state, but the Witcher is my favorite of the two. That said, I'm unclear about what your goal is in connecting these subjects. They are not dissimilar, but what's the goal?

 

Hello TheLimeCat! I appreciate your comment!

 

Well, I am reading about game theory authors, and it is a coincidence that you mentioned the word "love" associated with both games. I am focusing my research on certain aspects of game studies, especially those related to space, affection and ludic approaches. Well, I can say that, for now, I am just collecting some insights (this thread counts as my first movement "outside theory reading activity") about different games (as I explained above, to user funkymunkyzone). Right now, the goal remains to collect more "evidences" about both genres of games, by hearing about the way different people experience gaming during traveling (be it on Skellige or on Swiss Alps, for example).

 

Also, I know the motivations may vary, and then again, that put me to think about the case where players travel (some even go abroad) in order to play, as well as the opposite case (travelers who play as a main/side motivation to travel)...

 

 

[+hzoi 964]

On 8/18/2019 at 3:41 AM, Shakmatton said:

Hey hazoi! Thanks for the feedback!

 

I find it Interesting that your background with locative-based games and multi-generation open-world digital games is broad. This makes me think about the way people play both genre of games (searching for achievement, conquering, competing, exploring, chatting, learning, relaxing, fooling around, etc). I wonder how exactly people play those games, when wandering through the game space (virtual or real)...

 

I also suppose the preference for single-player game style (including caching time) might correlate with the experience of traveling (in real life) as "single-traveler", or in small groups of family or friends. What do you think?

 

I think the way I game and the way I cache tend to line up.  I enjoy exploring, either in game or in life.  Often it's in line with a goal, like completing a quest or finding a series of caches.  But sometimes I just putter about.

 

As far as the interaction piece, I'm a bit introverted, so I think my playing style of sticking to small groups or going solo, whether in a game or geocaching, is consistent.