Right now I am playing two online games. They are both adgames and both only take about 5-10 minuet of play a day to keep going. However, both games stretch over several weeks.
The first game is called Sharkrunners, made by area/code and is a promotional game for an upcoming SharkWeek on The Discovery Channel. Basically, you are a sharkrunner which means, you are a scientist that roams the ocean, tracking down sharks to gather scientific information – you are hooked on studying sharks. You steer your boat around the costal area off California, where you can see indications of shark observations. The fantastic idea is that while your boat is digital and fictional, the shark information is based on current and real data. The game uses real GPS data to locate the sharks as many sharks are already tagged for scientific observation. Great idea!
You set the course of your boat and wait. When a shark is spotted, you receive either an SMS or an email and you then have 3 hours to react before it is too late and the sharks are gone. From here, you gather your scientific information about the sharks, sell it to institutions and when you reach port again, you upgrade your boat, crew and equipment from the money your observations have earned you.
The other game I am playing, is also a promotional adgame – this one for the promotion of the new Bourn film starring Matt Damon. The Ultimate Search for Bourn has been launched by Universal Pictures and Google and sets you on a while goose chase around the internet to find Bourn. To play, you will need to have a Google account and some patience – but it is worth it. You are given a daily mission to solve which will involve finding information from an agent through a (fake) dating site, analyzing YouTube videos as well as applying other Google tools. Generally, the gameplay is not kept to in the interface, but scattered across the internet. It’s a fun idea and it will have you cracking codes the next 15 days. At times it’s a little slow but it is worth a play simply for the idea.
Enjoy.
