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Payphone Go

walzr.com

31–40 of 75 posts

Re: Payphone Go

#31
post #7

This is amazing. I would love to have this game in France! We have a geocaching scene ( https://www.geocaching.com/ , https://france-geocaching.fr/ ), but I really like the idea with payphones and this system of calling to claim findings. The "love letter to a disappearing piece of infrastructure" bit makes me think of the payphone pictures that are published in each of 2600 magazine issues: https://www.2600.com/payp…

Another cool "just get out there" thing is the Degree Confluence Project. Just checked, and even the web site is still old school. https://confluence.org/

My personal contribution: https://confluence.org/confluence.php?visitid=3402

Re: Payphone Go

#32
post #7

This is amazing. I would love to have this game in France! We have a geocaching scene ( https://www.geocaching.com/ , https://france-geocaching.fr/ ), but I really like the idea with payphones and this system of calling to claim findings. The "love letter to a disappearing piece of infrastructure" bit makes me think of the payphone pictures that are published in each of 2600 magazine issues: https://www.2600.com/payp…

Another cool "just get out there" thing is the Degree Confluence Project. Just checked, and even the web site is still old school. https://confluence.org/ My personal contribution: https://confluence.org/confluence.php?visitid=3402

Anyway would love to play this payphone game, if only as an excuse for bike outings, but it's only for California and I don't live there.

Re: Payphone Go

#33
Please consider extending the game at least by a couple weeks! I’m very curious what percent of all California payphones could be captured with an extended game. I know the game’s phone number isn’t free but I’m sure it could be largely covered by donations.

Without even going and playing the game yet, it’s already let me understand more of the local geography. Lots of small nursing homes, behavioral institutions, and halfway houses have a payphone. Places that thankfully I haven’t had to think about and didn’t even know were there. I doubt most of these will be captured.

Many have lamented the demise of the payphone but it really bears repeating. If someone loses or is robbed of their phone, they have to rely on the trust of strangers (when they may be looking pretty rough themselves) or scrape up $20-40 for a prepaid phone at a store that’s open, rather than calling at a payphone that’s open 24/7 for 25 or 50 cents or even for free with a collect call.

Re: Payphone Go

#35

I think every modern state should have some emergency phones. Not everyone has a smartphone, available at all times.

In many cities there are "Emergency Call Boxes" throughout the streets that are distinct from payphones but operate similarly in that they allow you to get in contact with emergency services.

Re: Payphone Go

#37

Real world exploration games like this and Jet Lagged: The Game Hide and Seek are just so cool. I’d play it if payphones from my state were included! I don’t know if they are licensed/registered here though.

Ya know, I just spun up a version of a user-driven exploration game, as an homage to the sf0.org from back in the aughts. https://irl2-production.up.railway.app/ Google auth still not hooked up, but otherwise good enough for now. And it's open source.

Ohhh interesting - thanks

Re: Payphone Go

#40
post #38

If you just want to find a payphone: https://overpass-turbo.eu/s/2lHO >

Cool, thanks for this. It seems this data comes from OpenStreeMap and has some phones not listed in Payphone-Go. Curious about the discrepancy.
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