Check Out ScavengAR Hunt's Website

Thanks to the popularity of our Augmented Reality mobile game, ScavengAR Hunt, being played all over the world in places like Great Britain, the Netherlands, Sweden, and the United States (to name a few), we've been receiving lots of feedback and comments about how fun it is. However, something has been missing...a website!! So the technology geniuses at Talking Dog Studios "got off their duffs" and created one. To check it out, go to www.scavengarhunt.com and see what it's all about!

The website gives instructions on how to start playing, how to check your stats to see how you compare to players all over the globe, and how to contact us should you want to tell us how awesome you are (or if you have any questions or comments)!

But wait, there's more! We've also created a ScavengAR Hunt Facebook Fan site! We'll be frequently posting updates and videos, so that our fans will know what's new, what's changed, or just what's really cool!

And speaking of cool (nice segue!), check out the video below to see a glimpse of what ScavengAR Hunt is all about.

So what are you waiting for? Get off your duff and collect some stuff!!

The Talking Dog AR Team

Augmented Reality comes to the Interactive 2010!

On Friday, September 24th a few members of the Talking Dog Studios gang took a short jaunt up to Saskatoon to attend Interacitve 2010!, an interactive media event put on by the Saskatchewan Motion Picture Industry Association and the SaskInteractive Media Association Inc. It was a day of schmoozing and rubbing elbows, but also informative sessions on what’s going on in the interactive media industry in Saskatchewan.

One of the highlights for our crew was the opportunity to speak with Robert Rice, the founder of AR Consortium, and hear his session on Augmented Reality: Evolution of Media and Convergence. Considering all the exciting projects we have been working on with augmented reality recently, our tails were really wagging. All of the speakers were great though and it simply underscored how much talent and innovation Saskatchewan has to offer.

However, the icing on the cake came later that evening when they presented the SaskInteractive Media Awards. Surrounded by representatives from various businesses in the interactive media industry and with the smooth beats of DJ Albert from zu swirling around the room, we proudly accepted two awards: “How Big is Baby” - Education/Learning/Training Visualization and “Where the Buffalo Roam” - Mobile Entertainment. We were also nominated for two other awards: “ExpandAR” - eGaming/Interactive Entertainment and “Gojira” - Interactive Advertising/Online Ads. It was great to receive recognition for the hard work we do here at Talking Dog Studios with augmented reality and we intend to keep the ball rolling! So keep checking our website www.talkingdogstudios.com/ar and let’s keep the future augmented!

The Talking Dog AR Team

ScavengAR Hunt

Here at Talking Dog Studios over the past little while we've been exploring the "Layar Reality Browser" app for iPhone and Android phones. We put up a layer for the service a month ago called "Where the Buffalo Roam" which lets you visualize the huge herds of buffalo that used to be found in North America. To further our curiosity about this amazing new world of possibilities we have now released a game called "ScavengAR Hunt" (search for it in Layar).

This is a scavenger hunt, but in Augmented Reality! Once you're logged in to the app, you'll find a random collection of unusual and humorous objects that have been scattered around you. Some are near enough to collect right away, for others you will have to walk closer to be able to grab them. Should we be advertising this as "the Augmented Reality game that promotes physical fitness"? Get off your duff and collect some stuff!

Remember: you don't have to be right on top of the object to collect it, so if there's one out in the middle of the street or on private property you should still be able to collect it, as long as you're within 30 meters (100 feet) or so. Stay safe, stay legal, and have fun.

There are a number of objects that we have created for you to find all over the world, and we'll be adding more and more items in the months to come. Each item you find has a specific number of points associated with it, and occasionally you'll come across rarities worth BIG POINTS!

Go Riders!
In support of our local football team we have also placed a gigantic floating picture frame in our downtown to showcase two of the greats from our "Saskatchewan Roughriders": Ron Lancaster and George Reed (everyone will have to visit here if they want to collect this one). As part of this year's 100th anniversary celebrations for the team, we have also placed this frame over top of our football stadium.


But Wait, There's More...
This game can be played anywhere in the world. Right now, people here in the Regina area will also find coupons they can take in to local businesses. This is a new (and paperless!) way to attract customers: coupons can be placed anywhere in the world, within a radius as large or narrow as you choose: if your business would like to participate in this exciting new promotional opportunity, contact us (ar [at] talkingdogstudios [dot] com) to learn more.

Now Get Scavenging!
We hope you all enjoy this game. Will you be the first person to find the golden egg? Will you become the number one ScavengAR Hunt collector in the world? Follow us on twitter for updates about this and other interesting AR things we find.

The Talking Dog AR Team