Scavenger hunt

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A scavenger hunt is a game in which individuals or teams seek to find a number of specific items, or perform tasks, as given in a list. The goal is either to complete the list first, or to achieve the highest score within a given time limit.

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[edit] History

Since the beginning of man's existence, he has had to scavenge or hunt for food and other important items in order to survive. Over time, wandering food-gathering people began to settle down and become stationary food-producing people, thus followed towns, villages, and whole civilizations. The need for scavenging changed into a need for producing, but the concept of scavenger hunting never faded from civilization completely. The game of scavenger hunting is a simulation of what was once an important and necessary work in order for the human race to survive. Its use as a party game is credited to American socialite Elsa Maxwell.[1]

[edit] Entertainment

  • LOC-AID Treasure/ACE(Application Creation Engine) first of its kind location-enabled mobile “treasure/scavenger” hunt or point-to-point "chases" which encompass a relevant marketing theme within the game. What does a typical game look like? One game may direct the player to a particular location (e.g., store grand opening) which is validated, then offered a clue or puzzle to solve, the answer determines the number of points accrued. The game winner is the player that gathers the most points in the least time, while visiting all the game locations. In another game version, players who complete the game are entered into a random drawing for a prize. A community-building game may offer a point-to-point chase (e.g., “visit the 3 stores nearest your location”) as part of a larger awareness promotion. LOC-AID.
  • A new twist on scavenger hunts is the annual travel adventure competition called GreatEscape2007: The Global Scavenger Hunt. Now in its 4th year, this around the world competition crowns "The World's Greatest Travelers" while raising funds for charities. It is also a so-called "Blind Date With The World" in that the travelers/competitors, don't know what countries the event will visit adding to the "travel competition" aspect of the scavenger hunt.
  • The annual University of Melbourne Scavenger Hunt has 20 or more teams chasing about 300 items, 100 or more photos, and participating in events including Boat Races, a Trivia Night, Jelly Wrestling, Iron Gut and the infamous Long Drive.
  • Macomb, IL hosts The Great Scavenger Hunt. A 24-hour world-wide event, this photo scavenger hunt is still growing in popularity and has attracted teams from 6 countries and over 1/2 the United States.
  • The annual Tricadecathlonomania, a 24 hour world-wide event that began in Northfield, MN, takes place in April of each year. High school and college students complete physical tasks, find items, and videotape stunts to amass points. This growing event is being filmed in 2006 for a feature length documentary.
  • The The Leif Erickson Classic - 24 hour video scavenger hunt. Taking place in July of each year, teams battle across western Pennsylvania, Ohio, West Virginia and the west coast for prizes and the legendary Thryker Cup. Players search for “Artifacts”, complete “Epic” tasks and take part in “Sagas”. The hunt’s name is derived from completely made up theory that Leif Erickson, a great Viking explorer found America while on a scavenger hunt.
  • In Metairie, Louisiana a group of friends Holds a Scavenger Hunt every summer titled "The 20xx Triple XXXtreme Scavenger Hunt." It is in its third year. It is known for its over the top tasks and its insane after party. Things usually conclude on Bourbon st.
  • Snap-Shot-City is a world wide, urban photographic scavenger hunt that takes place on September 2 all around the world. It is a game, a local event, a global event and a website. It’s a 6 hour scavenger hunt through the city. Teams are given a list of 30 items which they must photograph and upload onto the Snap-Shop-City website Snap-Shot-City is a global community engagement activity – giving people the opportunity to actively in something all over the world. Snap-Shot-City lets players tell a story about the city they live in, with each picture allowing players to become artists and storytellers. The photographs are judged by a global panel of judges from the fields of architecture, photography, urban design and social philosophy, with awards and prizes allocated for skill, artistic merit, evocativeness, and social commentary.
  • The Harvard-Radcliffe Science Fiction Association hosts two yearly scavenger hunts (one of which is at Vericon) which requires teams of three to find items on a list with a one-hour time limit. These scavenger hunts are notable in that the items they require are subject to wild interpretation and may refer to inside jokes, internet memes, and other references – for example, a recent scavenger hunt requested "The Da Vinci Codex", "Crimean War 2061", "a duck (bonus points if live, extra bonus points if of doom)", and "your soul", among other items, with bribes to the judges worth extra points and creativity highly encouraged. Traditionally, the winning team of one of these scavenger hunts is charged with writing and judging the next one.

[edit] Internet

Internet scavenger hunts are becoming more common for educational purposes. Wikipedia has its own scavenger hunt.

[edit] Video-games

In the video-game industry the word scavenger hunt is sometimes attributed to 3D platform games that concentrate excessively on the collection of specific items in order to progress through the game. Super Mario 64 is widely attributed to be the first such game, while the Banjo-Kazooie series and Donkey Kong 64 carried on the tradition.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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