Treasure World Sends Gamers on Mobile WiFi hunt

As gaming systems become increasingly integrated with the physicality of the gamer, developers are seizing upon the intricacies of our actual environments for new ways of having fun on-screen. Aspyr’s Treasure World for Nintendo’s DS and DSi handhelds is one such attempt to bridge the gap between the real and the pixelated, launching players on a virtual treasure hunt that requires exploring one’s surroundings for actual wireless networks. Real-life WiFi spots are converted into in-game “treasure,” which can be traded in for items. The game can even be played with the handheld closed—at which point one is literally just wandering around waiting for their DS to grab hold of a network. If this sounds like it could be dull, you’re in good company—Treasure World has garnered a highly mediocre cumulative 67% on Metacritic—but the effort to make the actual part of the virtual is an essential movement in advancing video gaming beyond the living room, though somewhat poorly executed this time around.

Source PSFK via USA Today