In yesterday’s post, we blogged about an online game with potentially very negative consequences for young girls - today, we look at a game that is as definite step in the right direction - literally. From the recent edition of Springwise:

LocoMatrix, which is still in beta, has developed location-based games kids can play outdoors using their GPS-enabled mobile phones. Fruit Farmer, for example, is a game in which one or more players run around a real environment such as a park, football field or beach collecting virtual oranges (visible on their mobile phone screens) while avoiding virtual obstacles and killer wasps. Multiple levels of play are available, and users can even create their own versions using a special program on LocoMatrix’s website. In Treasure Hunt, meanwhile, the player follows a set of pictorial clues to find a series of locations. The game can be configured to display information about the destination locations, while its “warm-ometer” feature shows pictorially whether the player is getting hotter or colder in relation.

Games that get kids off the couch and into the real world to play games is a very positive use of technology and cell phones as well as a great way to get kids active. As of right now, it appears this service may only be available in the UK, but I am sure it won’t be long until we see these types of cell phone based games in the US.

You can see how the games work in this interesting (if not a bit cheesy) video.

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