BENGALURU: Play this game and you will no more look past the heritage sites of the city. An app has been developed by three Bengaluru-based men in their 30s with a governing motto that when you see it you do not remember it but when you play it, you do. It redefines the age-old game of treasure hunt.
The app called Sparrowz is a self-guided treasure hunt that helps you discover the local area through quests and fact checks. The app, operating since November 20, has over 2,000+ downloads. Mostly played at Cubbon Park and Lalbagh, the app has a Republic Day Special game, to help you discover the retired battle tanks stationed in different parts of the city.
“There are around 5-6 retired battle tanks stationed on the roads for public viewing. People rarely stop by to know their profound history,” says Karthik Ananthakrishnan, co-founder of Sparrowz. “So we want people to know the basics about the tank, we are doing that in a treasure hunt format.”
The battle tank event will be a cycling event as well because a player has to cover about 8-10 km to complete the quest in all five locations. There are more than five battle tanks in the city but only five, two at the Old Airport Road and three in Ulsoor area, are considered for the game for sheer convenience of the player.
Age groups between the age of 6 and 60 have played the Cubbon and Lalbagh treasure hunts so far. The game can be played every day in Cubbon but in Lalbagh it is only on, on weekends. The upcoming game play at Lalbagh is on January 21.
“The idea is getting to know your city in a fun way as you hop along like a sparrow,” says Shruti Pillai, content curator of the app.
How is it played?
The games are updated every 2-3 days. Some games are free to play while some games such as the Lalbagh treasure hunt costs `300 for three people. The pin to locate the starting point will be sent to the participants.
When you first download the game, you will receive 100 credits and you can use that to play any treasure hunt that cost between 50 and 75 credit. When you play the game you acquire credits and end up with more credits to proceed to the next game.
Clues are given to reach the destination that will lead to next. Activities such as taking a selfie or GPS sign in would be necessary to complete the task. All the activities can be performed at that particular location. After the quest is completed all facts are given to the player.
Using hints to spot a location reduces your score and the winner is the highest scorer.
Where all is the app used?
Currently operating only in Bengaluru, the city-based-app has been used all around the world. The app was first tested during the Rio Olympics in August and in September it was also a part of the GoUNESCO’s CSR event called ‘Make Heritage Fun’, where they used the Bengaluru-based app to create a game in 5-6 heritage sites across the world including Patiala and Kingston.
Other games
There are some local games such as the Basavanagudi Food Trails, where you get clues about eight nice food locations in the neighbourhood. Bangalore Selfie Challenge game is for everyone, where ten best selfie places are listed out in the app. The games can be personalised as well. Corporates have used it for their office parties and people have played it for birthday parties at Cubbon Park.
“The app can be downloaded in Appstore and Playstore and we have a rating of 4.3 and that is something we are proud of,” says Karthik Ananthakrishnan.