Press Release
Dokogeo Takes Geogames Beyond Check-ins with Dokobots
January 4, 2011 - San Francisco, CA
Today Dokogeo, makers of the award-winning Seek ’n Spell, released Dokobots — a free location-based game for iPhone and iPod Touch. The game follows the adventures of the Dokobots, friendly alien robots who have been stranded on Earth after their mothership was damaged in a mysterious accident. The inquisitive Dokobots want to explore our world, and it’s up to players to aid the ’bots in their quest.
Global Scavenger Hunt
Dokobots adds a digital layer to the real world in this global scavenger hunt. Using an augmented map interface, players search for the objects used in the game. A typical walk to lunch transforms into an adventure as players discover and collect rare and exciting items. Inactive Dokobots fall to earth like meteorites and lie waiting to be retrieved and activated, batteries are jettisoned from the damaged mothership and scattered across the surface of our planet, and active Dokobots are dropped off by players and wait to be picked up by the next person who comes along.
Go on Adventures
Dokobots travel with players as they go about their day and engage in fun activities. Players mark locations, take photos, and add notes to catalogue the travels and adventures of the ’bots. Dokobots appear in each photo, where players can fit them to the scene — perching them on a friend’s shoulder or posing them in front of a landmark.
Every Dokobot keeps a detailed record of its adventures in a travel journal. The journal automatically charts the ’bot’s route through the world, tracking map locations, host players and user-created photos and notes. Players can check out the photos taken by each of the previous hosts before adding their own, and a newsfeed keeps players up to date about the latest activities of their favorite Dokobots, highlighting new photos and other entries.
Bring Dokobots to Life
When a player finds an inactive Dokobot, it’s an empty shell waiting to be powered up and given an identity. They all love to explore, but players put their own stamp on each Dokobot by assigning it a name and function. This guides the entries created by other players as the ’bot hitchhikes from device to device. Imagination is the only limit, making the ultimate destiny of a Dokobot up to the player!
A New Type of Game
Combining a scavenger hunt with traveling characters and collaborative storytelling marks a departure from traditional location-based games based on check-ins. “We love apps like Gowalla and Foursquare, but we wanted to make a game that was about more than just check ins,” says Dokogeo co-founder Zach Saul, “You can still play every time you’re out and about, but Dokobots encourages the players to share their experiences in addition to the places they go.”
Sharing fun entries is easy as the app seamlessly integrates with social networks, email, and the web. “People have these robot pen-pals that keep them up-to-date as they travel,” adds Dokogeo co-founder Dan Walton, “and the game becomes a network of people sharing stories surrounding the Dokobots’ experiences.”
This innovative approach to participatory location-based entertainment marks a new direction in location-based games, and Dokogeo hopes that this release will encourage players to explore and engage with the world around them. Dokobots is available for free in the App Store.
In-Game Event and Contest
The first in-game event is currently underway. To coincide with the release of Dokobots, hudreds of extra-rare “Scouting Party” Dokobots have been hidden around the world. The first 100 people to find and activate one will win a prize! Find out more at http://dokobots.com/scouts/
Dokobots: For iPhone and iPod Touch (requires iOS 3.0 or higher)
Available for free in the App Store
http://dokobots.com
Dokogeo: is a geogames studio located in the sunny North Beach area of San Francisco. Focused on developing engaging location-based software that encourages active outdoor fun and exploration, Dokogeo takes advantage of GPS, motion sensors and the always-connected nature of next-generation portable devices. Dokogeo’s game Seek ’n Spell is the first entertainment title with real-time multiplayer GPS technology. Available on iPhone and Android for free, it was a Google ADC2 finalist and won the Best Use of Technology award at Come Out And Play 2009. Seek ’n Spell was the first game built on the GeoSeek game engine. contact@dokogeo.com
