Around the World with Gbanga this week interviews with player ‘cheapskate‘, who is this week’s winner of the Player of the Week badge. Player cheapskate lives in Naperville, Illinois, but also conducts location-based Famiglia activity in Chicago. If you want to learn more about Famiglia in the USA, this interview is a must read for you!
[Gbanga] Hi cheapskate. Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got to know Gbanga?
[cheapskate] Hello! I am the player cheapskate who plays Gbanga in Illinois and I belong to the JapaneseWestPants Famiglia. I found out about Gbanga when I searched in the app store for location games. GPS gaming appeals to me because I have always been fascinated with the technology behind it and the ability to transfer real world information onto virtual game worlds. Conquering a fictional version of the real world is just more satisfying than conquering a totally imagined one.
What does the Gbanga world look like in Naperville, Chicago and the surrounding areas?
The area around me is vastly unexplored by any Gbanga players. I would bet though that there is likely some activity going on around Chicago, but nobody really plays games like this in these frigid corn, soy, and pumpkin fields. If you visited Naperville I would likely have a monopoly of ownership in the area with small patches or single spots controlled by people that have driven through.
Is it fun playing Gbanga in the US?
It is great to play Gbanga in the USA because it is vast and has a lot of locations like shops, restaurants, malls, and monuments that can be taken over for points for both leveling and your Mafia family’s benefit.
“Location-based games are my favorite and this one is very fun, it’s simple and the papery art is very creative.”
What is your favorite feature in Gbanga?
Something I like about Gbanga is something that is not as easy to do in other mixed-reality location-based games: the ability to collect graffiti items, which look like cubes of colored paper and drop them in the environment as art. I made a giant yellow “C” with a blue background in one location. The idea of leaving behind art for others to find someday is a cool idea to me.
What do you like most about Gbanga?
Location-based games are my favorite and this one is very fun, it’s simple and the papery art is very creative. It has been raining here the past couple days and when the game recognized that it was pretty cool; I like the nighttime effect too. Would be much more fun though if I had more competition.
Thanks cheapskate!
Readers, if you’re excited about location-based gaming and, in particular, if you live in the USA, then follow this link to sign up to Gbanga to create some friendly rivalry for player cheapskate.