Dec
23

Happy Holidays from SCVNGR HQ

‘Tis the season for giving, so SCVNGR’s stuffing your stocking (or smartphone) with 3 festive badges.

From Decemeber 20-28, playing SCVNGR will unlock this symbol of spinnin’ dreidels. Rejoice in your earning with a little song, “I have a little dreidel-bot, I earned it just today. Badges, Badges, Badges, oh SCVNGR I play…”

You’ll definitely deserve another badge after four nights of menorah lighting. Thankfully, it’ll be Christmas. We figured you’d want a keepsake of this year’s Yuletide, so playing SCVNGR on Christmas day will unlock a snowy memoir of Santa-bot.

But the festivities don’t stop after Christmas! One more limited edition badge will be born on New Years, and what says “Happy New Year” like a permanent reminder of last years failed resolution.  We know, this is the year you’re going to join a gym – eat up those latkes and Christmas cookies while you can!

Oh and don’t forget, SCVNGR is at airports! Play Home for the Holidays challenges when you’re en route for your chance at a $400 American Express® gift card.

Happy holidays!

Friday, December 23rd by Jessica
Dec
13

#Gamify Your Holiday Shopping?

For some of us, the holidays signal the yearly ritual of overpaying for gifts that are our loved ones don’t want, don’t need, or already have. Though nothing can change this hallowed tradition, this year, two clever organizations have endeavored to make the shopping season a little less painful for us. At least our holiday shopping can be a game.

First there’s the Charm City holiday hunt. Stores across Baltimore have challenges, clues and riddles that will win the top scoring players a pretty cool-looking winner’s basket of toys, gift certificates and even a Port Discovery Family Membership. Challenges were built by the folks at CoolProgeny and so were designed to be kid-friendly.

The Old Strathcona district of Edmonton is also getting into the holiday spirit with their adorable Return of the Magic trek  across Edmonton. (This is the first annual Return of the Magic but we really hope next year it will be called Return of the Return of the Magic.) Look at gorgeous holiday window displays, hear multimedia stories on the SCVNGR app, do challenges and even participate in a family photo contest. (Our SCVNGR submission is below.)

We hope some holiday games while you’re out shopping can take your mind off the fact that you just bought your sister another snuggie for $60 and she has three of them.

Happy Shopping!

Written by Kellian Adams

Tuesday, December 13th by Jessica
Dec
08

Challenges for Charity: That Bot’s Got Heart!

You know that SCVNGR is free for players. You know that SCVNGR is free for builders under 5 credits, but did you know that SCVNGR also awards 6 nonprofit builder scholarships every year? ‘Tis true! This year one of our first grant recipients for our December grant round is TweetDrive, a nonprofit that hosts Tweetups in cities across the US to donate toys to charity.

Tweeters will donate toys but also complete Tweetup-themed SCVNGR challenges to compete for a $1,000 toy donation from the generous folks at popchips (see nifty poster below).

Read more about the event on their site: http://tweetdrive.org/, follow them at @TweetdriveHQ and watch the cities go head-to-head on SCVNGR challenges here: http://www.scvngr.com/tweetdrive

‘Tis the season for giving, tweeting, playing games and eating popchips. Seems like there should be a festive song about that…

Written by Kellian Adams

Thursday, December 8th by Jessica
Nov
17

Home for the Holidays

To be sung to the tune of “Jingle Bells”

Waiting to board the plane
Going home for the holidays
Got presents on the brain
Don’t want to be delayed.

But you need to kill an hour
So you decide to use your phone
SCVNGR challenges to devour
You’re in a re-ward zone!

Oh, family visits, fighting siblings, traditions every day,
Oh, what fun it is to play
Home for the Holidays, hey!
Apple pies, fireplaces, reunions all the way,
Oh, what fun it is to play
Home for the Holidays!

So what’s in it for me?
You ask as you sing this song
Challenges with a holiday theme
How could you go wrong?

Unlock a gift card
For last-minute shopping fun
Find presents for your family and friends
When you find out you’ve won!

Oh, AmEx gift cards, shopping sprees, gift-giving every day,
Oh, what fun it is to play
Home for the Holidays, hey!
Mistletoe, snowball fights, ugly sweaters all the way,
Oh, what fun it is to play
Home for the Holidays!*

*In case the holiday fever has gone to your head, playing Home for the Holidays at airports when you’re headed home can unlock the chance to win a $400 American Express® gift card. Can you say, holiday shopping?

Thursday, November 17th by Jessica
Nov
02

Brains? BRAAAAAAAAINS!!

Did you know that brains have the highest cholesterol content of any food? This is why many Zombies suffer from congenital heart failure. Luckily, that doesn’t matter because they’re dead.

Jealous? US TOO! That’s why we’re running the SCVNGR Zombie Apocalypse on November 10th. Zombies will arrive at Johnny D’s from 6pm to 7pm to check in and be caked in blood makeup (of course). At 7pm, we will unleash the horde on Davis Square to go places, do challenges, earn points and eat brains, you know how it goes. Around 8pm, we will stagger back to Johnny D’s to enjoy our fellow Zombies and Flow Tribe a (living) very strange and very cool band from New Orleans. At 9:30pm, we will announce our Zombie overlord.

You, too, can live the high life of a zombie by joining us at the Zombie Apocalypse!! Get your tickets here: http://livingdeaduprising-boston.eventbrite.com/

Say it with us now. “Brains?? BRAAAAAAINNSS!!” Be there, or be eaten.

Written by Kellian Adams

Wednesday, November 2nd by Jessica