City Check-In Battles

Foursquare and Google Maps APIs Turn NYC Into a Real-Life Game of Risk

What do you get when you combine Google Maps APIs and Foursquare? World of Fourcraft, of course. The board game Risk has been a popular favorite since its release in 1957. (Fun fact: it actually used to be called 'La Conquête du Monde,' meaning "The Conquest of the World"). Now, World of Fourcraft has turned New York City into a life-sized game of Risk.

Users can log onto the website and pledge allegiance to one of New York City's five boroughs. Checking into a neighborhood on World of Fourcraft is the equivalent of placing a plastic figurine on a country in Risk. Makes sense so far, right?

Since this game leverages online tools, an algorithm figures out who owns each neighborhood by counting the number of people who have checked into it from each team. Last time we checked, a total of 100 people were playing and Manhattan was in the lead.

The rules on the website explain, "[T]here are no prizes. There are no celebrations. The only reward is the feeling of pride you normally only get from being re-tweeted."
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