Saturday, December 1, 2012

How do you play (and what is) Ingress for Android?


Mid-November, Google itself released a beta of an augmented reality mobile game called Ingress. As always, Google is starting trends and blowing away expectations; this social game has revolutionized mobile gaming... and it's not even out of beta. Because it is location-based and highly social, Ingress isn't the game for those of us who value our privacy; but let's be honest -- we're the minority. For those who hold to the view that the all-powerful they know whether we intend to reveal it or not (which point is probably valid), this is one intriguing game. I am not going to be joining the gamers, but this game has caught my attention... primarily because of the brilliant marketing that accompanied its release.

The premise of Ingress is the discovery of a new energy, by a team of scientists in Europe, that appears to be influencing people's minds. You can play as "The Enlightened," who embrace the power, or "The Resistance," who oppose the power. This game has surpassed all other games that use the real world as the setting, making the universe of the game part of reality. As Ingress' description on the Play Store puts it:

"The World is the Game
Move through the real world using your Android device and the Ingress app to discover and tap sources of this mysterious energy. Acquire objects to aid in your quest, deploy tech to capture territory, and ally with other players to advance the cause of the Enlightened or the Resistance."

Download the game here.

Ingress has already caught the smartphone world by storm, and I expect growth of the Ingress trend to continue a while longer. Do you think Android-owner Google will release an iPhone version of this incredible game? Neither do I. Where does that leave iPhone-owners? In line to buy an Android.

Come to the dark side; we have cookies.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Very interesting. I've had the idea of a game world that overlays reality for a long time. Though not a gamer myself either, I do like to see new and innovative breakthroughs from different areas of technology. Thanks for bringing this up. Maybe I'll invest in it before the shares get too expensive.

Unknown said...

Haha... I like the way you think.
Are you an app programmer? I hope you'll keep me updated if you pursue your game concept further.

Anonymous said...

No, not really. I just think the more one can learn about technology and mechanics, the better prepared they will be for the future. Is this world going to have fewer or more computers and machines in the future? (answer=obvious)
I am too interested in other technical areas to focus my studies strictly on software programming, but I try to learn as much as possible :) (that's why I read stuff like what you have here)
Thanks again.

Unknown said...

A healthy knowledge of technology is becoming increasingly crucial... I agree with you. I'm pleased my website has made your reading list. Thank you for visiting How Do You Android, and I hope you stop by again soon.