Practicum #5- Maddie

While doing some research about foursquare for my Practicum, I came across an article that posed a question. The author of this article questioned whether foursquare should be considered an application (how it's known now) or a game. Looking at the overall purpose of foursquare, considering it a game is a bit of a stretch. Although it has many qualities that make it somewhat more competitive than just a normal application, there's not too much at stake in terms of "winning" or accomplishing something. To use foursquare, there aren't many rules. As the author quotes on the website, one of the only rules is that "Users can check into as many places as they want to daily but can’t check-in too frequently within a short time period (to reduce unrealistic check-ins)". The problem with considering foursquare a game is that there is no real end-point. The "competition" is endless, and there is no major finale point awarding an individual for what they have done. Although becoming the "mayor" of a venue might seem like you have won, you can be "ousted" by another individual within a day of earning the title, which makes the competition seem pointless. Overall, different people may have various opinions on this issue. Personally, I think considering foursquare an application or a game depends on what you use it for in the first place. If one uses it as a way to network socially, it can be considered an application. If one uses it as a tool to combat boredom or a way to compete with others, it can be considered a game. This issue is all relative.