Recently I've been hooked on The Amazing Race. As if traveling isn't an adventure in itself, the show puts teams up against each other in a trip around the world. Beyond the places themselves, a storyline develops around the cast of characters. While we often are guilty of creating our own amazing race around a city, checking of sights and things to do, I love the way the Italian WHAI WHAI: play the storyline through the city guides embrace storytelling, technology and guidebooks to create a highly alternative guide (and a really cool sense of design - watch both videos!).
More gamebook than guidebook, you can start anytime and the game lasts about two hours and ends when you solve the mystery. Either playing solo or challenging friends, the game can be played on your sofa, but I think we can all agree the real pleasure is getting out and about.Learn how to play here, and pick up a copy of the book here or download the new app –for Venice or Verona! I don't read Italian, but if my eyes are correct, it looks like there's a New York edition coming. It all reminds me a bit of when I went treasure hunting in Paris...
Images via WhaiWhai. Spotted on Springwise.
It is hard for me to watch Amazing Race because it gives me an uncontrollable urge to travel! This game looks very interesting and lots of fun!
ReplyDeleteSounds like fun. I used to love the Amazing Race. It's been on *so* many seasons. I've lost count! I didn't think it was possible, but at some point it got too silly with the tasks they had them do and I lost interest.
ReplyDeleteThese books and your treasure hunting experience remind me of the geocaching adventures my friends and I would organize in Philly and DC. So much fun and a great way to learn about a city!
ReplyDeleteDownloading the app now... on my NEW iphone :)
ReplyDeletelove this concept --
ReplyDeleteeveryday, we're travelers in our own cities, storymakers in our own cities; i love interventions like these that help us to remember it!
these days i am living in yet another workaholic city (why am i attracted to these places??) where people mostly seem to keep their heads down when getting from point A to point B. would love to see this app developed for hong kong, there's so many potential stories waiting to be told...
This is a highly excellent and unique idea!
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