Archive for July, 2014

July 17, 2014

Munzee Player of the Week: David Scarbrough (mobilemachine)

We at Munzee constantly try to evolve the game in new and interesting ways, but it’s the players who truly grow the game in every way, shape and form. Although it has become a staple of the game, virtual gardens were completely thought up and produced by the players. Now virtual gardens are seen far and wide and players from across the world are working together to build these works of art. One such player is David Scarbrough (mobilemachine) and his home of Franklin, Tennessee is a hotspot for virtual gardens and he’s proud of the role he’s played in developing the area. Read on to learn a bit more about this week’s Player of the Week, mobilemachine!

photo (1)Who are you?
My name is David Scarbrough, my username is mobilemachine.

Where in the world do you live?
I am blessed to live in the great city of Franklin, Tennessee.

How long have you played Munzee?
As of today I have been playing Munzee for 402 days.

How did you discover Munzee?
I scanned a Munzee in the Target parking lot close by home out of curiosity and was directed to the download, I have been playing (and loving) the game ever since. I was quickly contacted by Jay and Tammy (thepiedpiper and therealgigi) and asked to join their clan. We have been earning the chuck and super chuck ever since.

photo1What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
I really enjoy the diversity in which MHQ operates with respect to the Clan Battles, specials and always changing and creating new munzee types. It’s exciting to see what will happen next and I can’t wait to see what the future brings to this exciting game. I also enjoy having something that my entire family can get out of the house and be active with. We can enjoy our beautiful city and other areas of the country. I would like to thank my beautiful wife and daughter (Goliath63 and Graciemay) for taking the time to participate in my desire to deploy and cap as many Munzees as possible.

What is on your wish list?
My wish list would include a 10 point minimum on Mysteries and also at least a once a month sale on Mysteries and Virtual Mysteries in the Munzee store.

Tell us about yourself!
I am one of the founding farmers of the garden in Franklin, TN. When I first started playing there was a shortage of specials in Franklin and started communicating with Jay and Tammy that we should start our own garden somewhere. I had driven Caruthers so many times and noticed that it would be a great place to start a garden and we all began deploying all the Mysteries we could get our hands on. When the clan wars started offering weapons those too were all added to the garden .I don’t think any of us ever imagined that it would turn into the largest garden in the USA and are still kind of in shock. I would like to thank all of our clan members and all of the other players for deploying and capping in the Franklin garden.

It has been great fun spending weekends and evenings walking the garden together deploying together and having fun. Our clan is more like one big family rather than a bunch of friends, even though some of them live in different parts of the world and the country. That is what I enjoy about the game, it can bring people together in a very special way that no other sport or hobby could do. Thank You MHQ for creating the greatest game in the world and I cant wait to see what the future brings.

What are some of your other hobbies?
Munzee is my only hobby besides loving My family and friends.

mobilemachine was kind enough to share his social, so cap away!

photo

If you know a player that should be nominated for Munzee Player of the Week, shoot us a message at iLoveYou@Munzee.com and let us know just why this person is outstanding in the global Munzee community!

-Please note, this is a super active campaign. We may not be able to get back to everyone, but you’re helping to grow the list of amazing people in the Munzee community!

July 15, 2014

Podcast Episode 21: Crazy Captures, Candy and THE Cup. Hey Omi, can you spell iCup?

In this episode of the podcast, CoachV shares his saddening World Cup viewing experience (or lack thereof), LeftOvers4Dinner learns about the Texas sun the hard way and Dylan sings Munzee happy birthday.

This week’s topics:

1. LeftOvers4Dinner reads exactly what’s on the screen.

2. Triple Points, Sunscreen, and very, very, sad Rob in a Germany jersey.

3. Germans, prep your Munzee Trails, we’re sending CoachV to come celebrate the World Cup win!

4. AN OBVIOUS HINT: Check the Munzee store frequently over the next day. You’ll be 3x happier that you did. store.munzee.com.

5. #FiestaThree – Celebrate with Piñata special captures and earn one of three special icons very time you cap a Piñata.

6. Be sure to visit munzee.com/announcements and blog.munzee.com for updates. Send feedback, suggestions, and stories to podcast@munzee.com.

*As Rob mentions in this week’s episode, things said on the podcast are subject to change and updates to our Birthday celebration, sales and other special activities will officially be posted on the blog and social pages.

To check past, present and future Munzee Podcasts, visit www.munzeepodcast.com.

July 14, 2014

Special Piñata munzees go live TOMORROW!

The soccer balls have faded from the field and our Copa Do Munzo special has come to an end. But what would Birthday month be without a few more surprises? Continuing our #FiestaThree celebration, we are happy to announce that tomorrow our special piñata munzees will take over the maps. What better way to celebrate Munzee’s third birthday than to hit a papier-mâché donkey until it gives you candy?

PinataBadge_720At 10:00 AM (MHQ) on Tuesday July 15th 3,333 piñata special captures will randomly attach to physical greenies that have already been deployed internationally. Be warned though, these specials will not bounce. We want to make it a bit tougher on our players this time around, so you will really have to get out and about to find these piñatas. Just like in real life, munzee piñatas are about getting as many different kinds of candy as quickly as possible. When you spot a piñata and scan it you will randomly receive one of three types of candy and a corresponding special icon:

  • The peppermint, which is worth 15 points split between owner and capper.
  • The licorice drop which is worth 25 points split between owner and capper.
  • The lollipop which is worth 33 points split between owner and capper. Candy

There are limited quantities of each candy, so some will be harder to get than others. Each piñata will remain in place for three scans and with each scan or “WHACK!” the piñata’s image will degrade so you can see how many caps are still available on the munzee. Individual players will only be able to scan each piñata once though, so no triple caps on one piñata. The piñatas will stay on the map through the end of the month and special Fiesta Third Piñata badge is also awarded by simply capturing one of the specials.

Pinata

3,333 may not seem like a lot for a game of 165,000 players, especially considering the piñatas will not bounce. Keep your eyes open on the third days of the month though, President Rob might be feeling a bit generous. While you’re waiting to get to the piñata nearest you, you should also stop by the store tomorrow for a new sale item. You might be in for a shining surprise. What exactly is the sale? Well what fun is a surprise party if you know what’s coming?

Make sure to go to Munzee events whenever you get a chance, because you never know what you’ll find out. Check out President Rob leaking some piñata info to the attendees of the Butte Event a few weeks ago.

July 14, 2014

Meet Munzee Munday: Daniel Fischer

Here at Munzee we’re constantly encouraging our players to meet and greet and build the personal relationships that make this game so great. Over the next few weeks we’ll be showcasing members of Team Munzee so our players can get to know us a bit better. So each Munday (see what we did there?) check in to see a new member of Team Munzee and you decide if you trust the game in our hands. Munzee is an worldwide game so it’s important that we focus on our international team members as well! Get to know our German developer Daniel Fischer!

P1030015Name and Title:
Daniel Fischer, Backend Developer

Where are you from?
I was born and raised in a small village in Thuringia, Germany. I left there in 2007 and moved to Chemnitz, Saxony where I went to university studying computer science until last year. It’s a lovely countryside around here at the edge of the Ore Mountains and even the Czech boarder is nearby, so I decided to stay for a few more years.

Tell us about yourself:
As I said, I finished university last year and so I had to sort things while getting from studying over to real work a.k.a. getting things done. I spend most of the day in front of two computer monitors. Yes, maybe that comes with my job but it’s also fun and hobby and feels like I’m doing the right thing. Beside that I try to be outside enjoying the sun and nature every minute I can get. I really need to move around after sitting at the desk for hours. Enjoying outdoors alone is great, but sure it’s much more fun to do it with friends and people you like. This is where Munzee comes in 😉

2014-05-31 10.02.24How long have you worked for Munzee?
I’ve been on the Munzee ship since fall 2013, but I did some minor tasks for them before officially coming on.

How did you find Munzee?
Hah, I really didn’t find Munzee as a company in the first place, I found it as a game. Coming from that other geo-location game, I read about Munzee in a blog post and I decided to get an account (that was 1,051 days ago) and have a look at the map. There was only one Munzee deployed in the whole state! I got some friends hooked and the game started to grow (very slowly) in our area. In order to 2014-05-10 12.19.23share thoughts and information about the game with other players from Germany, I set up the German Munzee forums and started coding up some tools that helped me and others playing the game. For that I got into contact with Scott and this is maybe how Munzee find me and gave me the ability to find Munzee as a company. I’m so glad to be here and work in such an awesome team!

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
That’s easy! What I like most about it is being outside and being on the move. Also the game gets me in contact with people from around the world and on weekend Munzee trips it shows me great new places. There is an active development going on and every week is exciting, from the game and from the job point of view.

What are some of your other hobbies?2013-08-18 16.52.09
Other hobbies? Are you kidding? Hah, there are. Two years ago I bought a new bike and so I cycling for about an hour a day if the weather is good. Okay, maybe I have to admit that most of the times Munzee is included even if I’m going by bike. The other hobby is electronics. So soldering is no problem for me, in terms of hobby projects like doing fun things with the Arduino platform or other micro controllers. And well, there is even reading. Unfortunately I don’t read as much as I want, but I bought a kindle in March and things are getting better, hah.

Famous last words?
No time for being famous. I have to get out and score some points!10013657_10203306448850370_1608249802_n

Check back next week to get to know another member of Team Munzee!

July 10, 2014

Announcing the Munzee 3X Point Day!

Munzee-Map-Marker-128-standardMunzee’s third birthday has been full of announcements, sales and chances to win free prizes, but now it’s time to get back to the basics. Three years ago Munzee was a small game built upon one goal: capturing greenies. So as you may have heard on the podcast, starting at midnight (MHQ, GMT-5) on Saturday July 12th we will be having a three times point day on all greenies! For 24 hours players who capture and deploy greenies will get three times as many points. This is an exciting opportunity for players to get 5k and 10k badges, level up and help further grow the game.

Throughout the past week there has been some speculation throughout social media though, so allow us to clear it up: CAP-ONS WILL NOT GIVE OWNERS 3X POINTS. I’m sure this will be a shock to many of you, but we want our players out in the field to earn their points just like in Munzee’s early days. The captures and deploys you make on July 12th will get you three times the points, but you will not receive extra points for your greenies that have been scanned.

We want to thank all of you who have supported us for three years and will continue to do so in the future. The game has expanded beyond any of our wildest dreams, but its important to appreciate how far we have come. So get ready for Saturday and hopefully you guys won’t overheat our servers again!

KermitTheFrog-Color-Step-10

July 10, 2014

Munzee Player of the Week: John Boksteyn (Jobok)

All it takes is one cap and you’re a player for life, at least that’s what we at Munzee continue to hear time and time again. Whether you’ve played geo-location games for a long time or a friend randomly told you about it , Munzee is addictive from first scan. This week’s Player of the Week is John Boksteyn (Jobok) and like many of our players it just took a random munzer sighting to get him hooked. Read on to get to know a bit more about Jobok and his Munzee “obsession.”

Who are you?2014-06-14 11.44.38
John Boksteyn (Jobok)

Where in the world do you live?
I live in Medicine Hat, Alberta Canada with my wife Deidra (Deedster) and own two Rovers, Stella & Steve.

How long have you played Munzee?
I have been playing, no, make that obsessed with Munzee for about a year and a half now, so 602 days.

How did you discover Munzee?
I was driving in Redcliff (A small community just outside of Medicine Hat) and spotted one of my buddies beside the road walking in circles. I stopped to check it out. He was searching for a Munzee. It was a new game he had heard about so I joined in and together we found the 1st of four that existed in the area. That is all it took to get me hooked. Currently there are over 7,500 Munzees in the Medicine Hat area.

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
I like capping, deploying, clans, specials and badges. I really like everything about the game. It’s really fun getting outside and having a goal. Anywhere you go, there’s a Munzee nearby and if there isn’t, there will will be.

What is on your wish list?
European Vacation!!! MUNZEE STYLE!!

Tell us about yourself!
I was born and raised in Medicine Hat and I’m still here! I work as an Electrical Lineman for a local utility company. I am married to my wonderful wife Deidra (Deedster) and we have four grown children and one awesome grandson, Cahleb!
We recently became the owners to two little Jack Russell Terriers (Rovers) who’s names are Stella and Steve who we hope to take on the trail with us wherever the game leads us.

What are some of your other hobbies?
– Caching
– Sturgeon Fishing in British Columbia
– Driving Deedster insane =)

I’d like to say a special “Thank You” to those who nominated me for Player of the Week!!

Jobok was kind enough to share his social, so cap away!

profile

 

If you know a player that should be nominated for Munzee Player of the Week, shoot us a message at iLoveYou@Munzee.com and let us know just why this person is outstanding in the global Munzee community!

-Please note, this is a super active campaign. We may not be able to get back to everyone, but you’re helping to grow the list of amazing people in the Munzee community!

July 9, 2014

Birthday Sale for Premium Munzee Users

As a thank you for taking their support to the next level Munzee is happy to announce a birthday sale exclusively for premium players. From 9 AM (MHQ time) TODAY until 9 AM (MHQ time) TOMORROW premium players will be able to order a variety of discounted items. Although you’ll have to check out the special birthday section of the Munzee Store to see what President Rob Vardeman decided to discount, the sale will run through tomorrow morning. From stickers to virtuals, the sale will feature various items at various times, but some stock will be limited so check the store throughout the day. The discount will not show until right before you checkout though, so don’t worry if it doesn’t automatically show up.

For those that aren’t premium players yet, we highly encourage you to sign up for a membership today. Aside from access to the special birthday sale, a Munzee premium membership offers a wide variety of perks and amplifies the game in a number of ways, so don’t waste any time and take advantage of the package now.

Upgrade today and you’ll get:

-The Gold Star Munzee only available to Premium members, worth double deployment and capture points.
-Access to filters within both the app and website to show different types of munzees and hide munzees you’ve already captured.
-Removes ads from the app’s map screen.
-Ability to edit and replace broken or missing munzees in the app.
-Access to “My Munzees” section of the app.
-Access to “Statzee” to see specific leaderboards, extended global and user statistics.
-Ability to purchase motels within the game.
-Early access to special sales and items.

As well as more access within the game the Premium package also includes 4 virtuals, a social and a motel. For more information on and to purchase a Premium membership, go to www.munzee.com/premium.

 

July 8, 2014

Podcast Episode 20: Flowing through the #FiestaThree

This week on the Munzee Podcast, Rob rocks the mic on more birthday announcements, Munzee’s 20 millionth capture and talks a little bit about the newly announced Munzee Marketplace.

This week’s topics:

1. Triple Points day: July 12th. Get your greenies ready! Starts at Midnight, MHQ Time. Not sure when MHQ Time (Central time) starts? Check out worldtimebuddy.com.

2. Munzee hit 20 captures! Then we hit an additional 19,999,980 million captures! The 20 millionth capture happened on July 3rd. Has anyone else noticed Munzee growing?

3. July 9th, we’ll have a special sale! On what? Listen in and find out what “The Rob” says.

4. First impressions: The media leaked it, so now we’re opening up about it. The Munzee Marketplace and what our vision of the Marketplace is for the city of McKinney and our awesome Munzee players. Bookmark the Munzee Marketplace Facebook page and keep an eye on all our updates:

Munzee in the News: Check out the links below to see what the press is saying about Munzee.

To check past, present and future Munzee Podcasts, visit www.munzeepodcast.com.

July 7, 2014

Meet Munzee Munday: Matt McCann

Here at Munzee we’re constantly encouraging our players to meet and greet and build the personal relationships that make this game so great. Over the next few weeks we’ll be showcasing members of Team Munzee so our players can get to know us a bit better. So each Munday (see what we did there?) check in to see a new member of Team Munzee and you decide if you trust the game in our hands. We may still call him The Intern, but this week’s Munzee Team member does far more than fetch coffee. Meet marketer Matt McCann!

Name and Title:
Matthew McCann, Business Development/Marketing

2014-06-18 10.20.52Where are you from?
I was born in Lake Havasu, Arizona and moved 4 times (California, New Mexico, and Kansas) before my family finally settled in Port Isabel, Texas when I was 6. I spent most of my life there before moving up to Dallas for college. I’ve been here for four years now.

Tell us about yourself:
Sports, craft beer, and technology are the things my life revolves around when I’m not in school (yes, I’m still attending UT Dallas) or at work. I love to travel, especially for sports, and I’m on a mission to visit all MLB ballparks. I also spend quite a bit of time binge watching movies and TV shows.

How long have you worked for Munzee?
About two months.

climbHow did you find Munzee?
I actually knew Rob (President of Munzee) and TJ (VP of Operations and Marketing) from Allen Americans (our local CHL hockey team) games. We met before either started working for Munzee, and when they joined the Munzee team, I learned more and more about it. When I was looking for work earlier this year, I inquired with TJ, interviewed for the job and started work a week later.

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
For anyone that’s been to MHQ or met members of the Munzee team, one thing is apparent: this isn’t just a job. The members of the Munzee team are invested in the game and players. We may have laid back attitudes, but our work is top priority. We do everything we can to make the game better and grow our player base.

IMG_2088What are some of your other hobbies?
Tying back into what I said earlier, sports and technology consume my life. I can usually be found watching a sport (baseball, soccer, and hockey are my favorites) in my free time. I also play on an indoor soccer team. I’m also a huge SciFi nerd. I love Doctor Who, Torchwood, and Superman. While I’m watching any of these things, I’m usually tinkering on my computer, phone, or tablet. I started learning coding (PHP, Java, and HTML/CSS) for fun. Music is my other passion whether it be listening, making, or editing. I treat myself to concerts when I can, and I’ve edited music for teams and individuals competing in dance competitions.

Famous last words?
“This is who I am, right here, right now, all right? All that counts is here and now, and this is me!” – The Doctor

2014-05-25 11.34.24Check back next week to get to know another member of Team Munzee!

July 3, 2014

Munzee Player of the Week: Helge Jans (JansEgal)

As the Munzee community continues to grow our players are taking the initiative to advance the game on their own. Player organized events are becoming increasingly popular and this week’s Player of the Week is continuing the trend. Helge Jans (JansEgal) is helping organize the “Hummel Hummel Munzee Event” in Hamburg, Germany at the end of August and his excitement and dedication to the game is obvious. Read on for more about Helge and how he hopes events like this will continue to introduce more new players to the game and current players to each other.

Who are you?
My name is Helge Jans, most of you know me as JansEgal from the “Freaky Munzee Clan.”

Where in the world do you live?
I live in Northern Germany, very close to Hamburg, one of the world’s Munzee capitals. I’m lucky to have my office in the heart of this beautiful city – close to the hot spots main station and Binnenalster with new virtuals every day. Because many of my lunch breaks are Munzee breaks my dear colleague Radwanderer has become a Munzer, too.

How long have you played Munzee?
This summer it’s two years that I‘m addicted to Munzee.

Munzee_HamburgHow did you find Munzee?
Two years ago we had a BBQ in our garden. While I stood at the barbecue a friend came to me with two bottles of beer and his latest crazy notion (his words!). He told me of the game and before the steaks were prepared I had downloaded the app and subscribed to Munzee. I remember he was very proud to have already achieved more than 4,000 points! He was sure that I had no chance to catch up with him. Today it takes a few minutes to achieve 4,000 points but in those days of Munzee it took me months to catch up with him.

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
I enjoy seeing parts of cities that I would have never seen without Munzee. For example the Port of Hamburg. Hamburg has one oft he largest harbors in Europe, but usually you do not walk on the streets between cranes and warehouses. While playing Munzee I found there a lot of nice spots with a fantastic view of the town.

Hamburg

Tell us about yourself!
I am 43 years old and when I‘m not on a Munzee trail I’m running a mail order business for high quality dog accessories (www.DogsFinest.de). Two more webshops with horse accessories and with products for people with allergies will follow this year. A lot of work, but I always hope to have enough time to capture some Munzees.

What are some of your other hobbies?
The only other hobby that I can reconcile with playing Munzee is traveling with my family. In April this year for example I visited Angel Stadium in Anaheim and became the proud owner of the Motel @Fisherman’s Wharf San Francisco. One of the greatest advantages of Munzee is that we can play it all over the world.

What is on your wish list?
I wish to meet many players from all over the world in Hamburg. We are currently planning the Hummel Hummel Munzee Event 2014 in Hamburg which takes place from August 29-31. It’s a great opportunity to visit the most beautiful city and some of the hottest Munzee spots in the world!

Please visit our homepage: http://hhme2014.munzee.me/

event

More information:
http://calendar.munzee.com/HHME1/
http://calendar.munzee.com/HHME/
http://calendar.munzee.com/Hummel/

JansEgal was kind enough to share his social with us, so cap away!

POTW social

If you know a player that should be nominated for Munzee Player of the Week, shoot us a message at iLoveYou@Munzee.com and let us know just why this person is outstanding in the global Munzee community!

-Please note, this is a super active campaign.  We may not be able to get back to everyone, but you’re helping to grow the list of amazing people in the Munzee community!