Earlier this summer, I told you about my love for the spelling bee, but I’ve always wanted to participate in a geography bee. Essentially, they’re competitions in which participants answer questions about cities, countries, bodies of water and landforms. I’ve always thought it was important to learn about the world. I used to wish my school pushed us to learn more with something like a geography bee. It sounds right up my alley! (Now, whether I’d be good at it is a whole other thing.)
I suppose I’ll just have to settle for Google’s new Smarty Pins game. This web-based game utilizes Google Maps technology while posing trivia questions on things like history, pop culture and sports. Then, you place a pin on the map where you think the answer is. The game allots you 10,000 miles, which act like points — each wrong answer deducts the distance in miles from your score. The game is over when you’re out of miles. You can also earn bonus miles for beating the clock.
The resulting experience is incredibly fun and cheeky, with Google Maps’ Pegman acting as head cheerleader. Almost Olympic in its rewards, you can earn virtual bronze, silver, gold and even diamond pins (and probably more, but I haven’t made it that far) for lots of right answers. It makes learning about the world enjoyable for any age. Play the Smarty Pins game here! Let me know on Twitter what score you get. // susannah
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