So, this Ingress thing.
I’ve been playing this off and on for a little bit now. It’s clear that this is some sort of application for improving geodata by framing it within the context of an alternate reality game (ARG), but there are some interesting things going on here despite that.
I am a member of the Resistance, if you were curious. The only reason why is because I like blue better than green. The stats are so evenly balanced between the two factions that it doesn’t really matter which one you choose.
With that having been said…
This feels very much like the concept of the virtual cache in geocaching. The portals are generally placed at well-known landmarks (such as the Campanile at Georgia Tech), and often the journey to the portal is just as satisfying as hacking it and claiming it. Virtual geocaches are very much the same way: there is no box of things to find; just a journey to a spot, and then directions to follow to “claim” the cache.
The only difference here is that the claim remains until it is seized by the other team. And, well, the fact that the cache can be fortified, and attacked, and, oh you know.
And I must say, linking three portals, resulting in a control field is a really neat feeling.