Google launches location-based Smarty Pins game

2 Jul 2014

Google has launched its latest mini browser-based game called Smarty Pins, which uses Google Maps to create location-based historical quizzes.

Similar to the popular online game Geotagger, this latest Google Map game asks the player a series of questions about historical events. The player then has to pin the place where the event occurred on a map.

Other questions cover topics such as sport, science, music, arts and culture, for those who might not know their history too well but know exactly where The Sound of Music was based.

However, if a player wants to hone in on one particular topic, he or she can select one or multiple categories.

Much like Geotagger, the player’s score is based on how close he or she places a pin onto the correct location on a map – the closer the pin is to the location, the higher the score.

If a player is good enough to get answers bang on, he or she will see the familiar little yellow man from Street View put on a variety of headgear.

When players answer five questions successfully, they receive a bronze pin. Ten correct answers yields a silver pin, and 15 correct answers results in a gold pin. Bringing a score of 1,609 km down to zero wins the game.

Smarty Pins

Getting a correct answer can be pretty satisfying

Google Maps image via Shutterstock

Colm Gorey was a senior journalist with Silicon Republic

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