Akoha.com Social Gaming On a New Level
Akoha is a reality-based social game in which players have game cards (purchased from the site and sometimes earned through “deeds” in-game) that they trade after completing missions. The game itself is a simple concept that combines real life social events with online gaming, so the game is a reality-based play-it-forward game. It’s currently in beta stage and is planned for world-wide release in 2009. According to those playing it, it’s highly addictive.
The concept works simply. Players have mission cards, which detail simple missions like buying someone coffee, sending a drink to a couple in love, donating an hour of time to charity, and so forth. Players then complete the missions by doing the task or objective, giving the mission card to whomever they did the task for (say Dick buys Jane coffee, he would give her the card). The card (already pre-registered by the player) has website information on it that allows the recipient to log into the website and enter the card’s ID number, which marks that the player completed the quest. The person receiving the card can do whatever he or she likes with it, but hopefully with sign up and become a player themselves, if they aren’t already.
As players complete missions, they earn points in the game. These points, at game release, will be redeemable for prizes, more cards, and other bonuses. The progress of each card as it passes from one player to another (and another, and another…) is tracked online and can be viewed, along with the players’ profiles and maps. This means that a card could potentially travel from one side of the world to another.
The game concept is simple, the execution appears that it will be done well, and the game itself is catchy enough that this could become a new social phenomenon.
