👀 Where in the world are you?
#376 | Roam around and find out
During the grim years of 2020-21, when we barely left the house, I got a case of cabin fever that I reduced ever so slightly by playing the fun-fun game of GeoGuessr.
The game drops you at a random spot somewhere in the world — a junction, a street, a highway, an empty field — all seen through Google Street View’s lens. You then walk around and guess where you are. You find clues through street signs, hoardings, shop windows, stickers on telephone poles… whatever works.
Sometimes it drops you in a beautiful, desolate field with no clues for miles. A congested city street is then a welcome change.
I went down a GeoGuessr rabbit hole and saw that some folks had turned GeoGuessing into a science. They were looking at what sort of soil the landscape had. They knew what countries had fire hydrants that looked a certain way. They could identify the formats of different country’s blurred license plates! Wired made a video with one of the top players in the world in which he breaks down his (impressive) hacks.
Anyone can play by signing up for free, but a paid version lets you play more in-depth formats and themed games. Guess the McDonald’s, anyone?
Ok, now go get lost. Then find yourself.
Divya
Divya has been looking at the internet with big eyes and a dropped jaw for as long as she can remember. She’s the co-founder of Rough Paper Creative and writes marketing stuff, runs long distances, watches too much TV, and cuddles her cats way more than they would prefer.