287: Playing On Planet Google

[Spanner Spencer]

Playing On Planet Google

Where better to play games than in your own back yard, on the White House lawn, or in the Sea of Tranquility? The Escapist considers what sort of games could be used to terraform Google Earth.

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[Blaster395]

That real world racer is an awesome game, I will post any neat tracks here when I find them.
http://www.tomscott.com/realworldracer/#

 

[Ken Sapp]

Any way to view google earth maps without installing a plugin?

 

[AvsJoe]

... one of the few quirks was being able to fly underwater ... and explore the sea bed as a modern-day Amelia Earhart.

Too soon, man. Too soon.

 

[Jackhorse]

Just a consideration but zombies? (Cue skip the power fantasist post)

Its their eery familiarity mixed with being slightly off norm that makes them such a great enemy, nearly human but just removed from us. When you imagine a zombie apocalypse you imagine it in your city, by your house, near your old school, near your mates house that you've all decided is the best bunker. Wouldn't it be great to put those 'pocalypse plans into action? Actually be able to hole up in your street and hold off the hordes.

 

[Therumancer]

Well, I can see liability here given that as I understand things Google Earth gets away with this by being public domain more or less. Games on the other hand exist to generally make a profit, and the owners of those real world locations might have issues with games being set there using this information without them receiving a cut of the profit. Not to mention irreverant behavior, not all people on the planet are as civilized and enlightened as Americans, a lot of people can get incredibly touchy about things as simple as drawing pictures of a religious figure, or people not of the faith setting foot in actual land. Someone say doing a game with zombies eating people inside of a mosque in Iraq, or a gun fight that blows apart "The Temple Of The Rat" in India, or a road race where monkeys can be hit in a city where they are considered to be sacred... well that could be a problem.

Cool idea though some day it will probably go places.

 

[WyattEpp]

I should get in touch with Tom Scott; he's going the right direction and I'm curious if he'd like to work together. (If yes, then I need to rope an electrical engineer into the equation, too...). Thanks for recognising the potential of this uniquely open body of real-world data.

 

[IndianaJonny]

Wow, so you could, say, play 'Missile Command' with your local cities or best friends' houses or whatever? That would be cool. Though I can see the issues around mapping conflict-based games onto the real world.

 

[Ravek]

Wow, so you could, say, play 'Missile Command' with your local cities or best friends' houses or whatever? That would be cool. Though I can see the issues around mapping conflict-based games onto the real world.

You mean ... exactly like Defcon? [http://www.introversion.co.uk/defcon/]

 

[Nikolaz72]

I'd love to see someone make a Saints Row game that allows you to go EVERYWHERE.

A 5 hour fastforward video showing a glitch where you keep walking forward till you reach the start of the game AGAIN.