As the Covid-19 outbreak continues to wreak havoc across the globe, people’s time that would have otherwise been spent going to malls or to live events, is now being spent on the sofa engaging in digital entertainment.
Online games, virtual reality entertainment, live-streamed concerts, and other sources of digital entertainment have now become the new norm for people seeking some sort of thrill or entertainment during lockdown.
In South Africa, one particular smartphone game has captured the attention of millions. Since its launch recently, new augmented reality game Landlord Go has been downloaded by more than 1,.4 million users making it the most popular app in South Africa.
The game, which is available for free download on Android and iOS, was developed by UK company, Reality Games. It is based on the classic popular game Monopoly and lets players buy and sell real world properties.
It also allows players to buy, sell, and collect rent on some of the world’s most famous buildings and landmarks.
“We have decided to take the most popular board game on the planet to the next level,” said John Woznowski, the chief executive at Reality Games.
The game, which is based on the classic popular game Monopoly, lets players buy and sell real world properties.
“This game hasn’t changed since 1912… and today’s technology is letting us have more than 500 million properties instead of just 32 to play with. It’s a natural technology improvement which had to be done.”
It’s the first real-world augmented reality game that uses real buildings, real people, and real prices to turn cities around the world in into an action-packed strategy game.
“Landlord Go is a geolocation property trade mobile game that allows users around the world to buy and trade real world properties,” said Woznowski.
“Our main goal is to have a digital copy of physical buildings in the real world. Then we connect digital footprints that are left by people who use smartphones in the real world with properties inside the game.
“Thanks to that we have a game economy that represents real world trends and behaviours. Players can buy buildings in the one kilometre1km radius of their physical location.
“Because of Covid-19, we have implemented a special feature called Property Agent. “Thanks to that you can travel with your agent on the map and search for properties of the special type.“The idea is to buy for less and sell to other players for more.”
“Whether you’re starting small or have grand visions to own the Portside Tower in Cape Town or the Empire State Building in New York City, they’re yours for the taking with Landlord Go.”
Using a massive pool of data, including detailed information about more than half a billion real-world properties, Landlord Go connects the user to their city in an exciting and innovative newway.
“Players can start small and quickly create a vast real estate empire through savvy investing. You can put properties on the market, or engage in furious bidding wars with other players, recreating the experience of competing in the thrilling real estate market right from their phone.”
Landlord Go reflects real-world values of properties using details like distance from the city centre and building amenities. By using their own data set combined with Nasa satellite scans showing night-time light emissions, Reality Games has created a realistic and data-driven property dealing game.
“You can really get the feeling that the level of realism is truly what sets Landlord Go apart,” said Woznowski. “Any time another player visits your property in real life, they pay you rent in the game.
“The more visitors your property gets, the higher its value. Using a proprietary AI and data platform called Big Dots, we’re able to add real-world data to any desktop and mobile apps.
“The game is exciting as players see their fortunes grow and engage in sky-high value transactions, competing with other players for dominance in the real estate market.”
Woznowksi says he is thrilled by the popularity of the game in South Africa in particular. “Actually right now it is more than 1.4 million users in South Africa and those numbers are growing rapidly every day. “We are extremely happy with the current results, and we hope that our servers will not burn.”
The game has over a million users in South Africa, with a large chunk of users coming from Cape Town, where there are 33 761 players making deals for virtual ownership of the 147 271 real properties
“It is popular in Cape Town because it gives everyone an opportunity to be an owner of the Castle of Good Hope, Old Reserve Bank or City Hall.
“Sometimes it is a need to be an owner of your boss’ company that is listed in our game, or just you have good memories with the restaurant where you have met your future wife.”
“We cover the majority of the real buildings in South Africa, so everyone can find a relevant property to himself. “At the end, this is a business simulator, so you can test yourself as a property investor.”
While it may come across as a complicated game to play, Woznowski has assured users that the game is easy to understand and play.
“Our main goal is to make it as easiest as possible. “I can assure you that you don’t need more than three minutes to buy your first shares of nearby buildings. “There are a lot of investment strategies like buying local properties and selling them on the global marketplace, searching for collections like coffee shops and gaining a special boost for the chain network.”
Woznowski adds that the game is also hugely beneficial to those wanting to learn about the financial aspects of property sales. “You learn a lot about the financial aspects of the business. When to buy, when to sell.“Our former Landlord game was introduced to a few universities as a business simulator for students.“There is also a big benefit of exploring your own city – by seeing properties you didn’t have any idea that exists.”