#locationapps

I tried out the Ingress App on my phone in order to explore the digital gaming world a bit deeper.  I signed away all my personal information by connecting the app to the data mine that is my facebook, and then I allowed it to use my location because big brother needs to know where I am at all times.  Nothing I haven’t done a million other times across the world of digital media. 

If I had to go to the grocery store or walk into town, I made sure to open the app in order to “explore” the Ingress world a bit.  Back in 2016, I jumped on the Pokemon Go! bandwagon (also created by Niantic), so the format of the game was something I was used to playing with.  I did find the narrative kind of hard to follow, and the instructions for “portals” felt a bit repetitive. I’m stubborn and easily bored, so I lost interest in the app after three or four outside excursions.

I don’t believe Ingress works as well as Pokemon Go! did.  For one, there’s a lot more narrative involved in Ingress, which means you need to pay attention to the dialogue on your phone screen frequently.  This would be all fine and good if the game didn’t also require that you be out and about in the world playing it.  I felt like every time I found a portal I would have to pause for 5 minutes on my walk just so I could listen to ADA and JARVIS fight over my loyalty. In freezing temperatures, this was not ideal. 

Pokemon Go! was slightly less narrative and more action. If you found a Pokemon, you had to stop to catch it, but otherwise, there wasn’t much expository dialogue for you to wade through.  It was much easier to play while walking places, in my opinion. 

That said, I can’t help but feel these Niantic games are a bit of a contradiction.  Pokemon Go (and Ingress works similarly) was initially praised because it forced “gamers” out into the real world in order to interact with the app.  People were experiencing nature again! Isn’t that swell? Sure, people might’ve been playing games out in the real world, but they are still solidly stuck to their screens.  In order to not miss portals (or pokemon), the user must be tracking the map on the screen the whole time they are walking.  In my experience, this led to trips, collisions, and haphazardly walking into intersections - not quite what I’d classify as “experiencing gaming in the real world”.

While mobile technology has allowed us to break down geography and stay connected from anywhere, location is proving to be more important than ever.

Most of the cases Context, location, and personalization are the main factors that affect user experience. The location is a factor that enhances personalization and makes the user experience more relevant.