Oneupweb Reviews: BOOYAH’s MyTown
MyTown is a GPS game that allows users to “buy” and “own” local shops, restaurants, and hangouts. Once a property is purchased the owner can then collect rent, purchase upgrades, and buy other properties.
Much like the effectively marketed site Foursquare, MyTown allows users to check-in and earn points for doing so. The terminology can be confusing since it mirrors real world terms such as cash and buying/selling property. However, you never really purchase any real world properties, nor do you collect real-world rent. As the New York Times put it, “MyTown turns the real world into Monopoly. “
How Do You Buy a Shop?
After you check-in at a location, you can buy it. You can buy from the Profile page or the MyTown page, but you can only buy a shop after performing a check-in there.
- To buy a shop on the MyTown page, tap the MyTown tab on the profile page. If you have a property slot available, tap the building that says “Tap to Buy”, then choose your location to purchase.
- To buy a shop from the Profile Page, tap the Buy button. You will buy the location where you did your last check-in.
How Do You Collect Rent?
You earn rent for each property that you own. Press the MyTown button on the main page. Then hit COLLECT button to take your rent from your first property. Then, slide the screen to view your next property. You can collect rent from each property you own. The more upgrades you buy, the more rent that you earn. The more people who check-in at your shop, the more your shop is worth and the quicker you earn rent.
What Do We Think?
MyTown has recently hit over 2 million users. Similar services like Foursquare by comparison have around 1.1 million users and Gowalla 250 thousand. Needless to say, MyTown has gained a large following, despite the terminology of the app being a bit obscure. Here are some images of MyTown’s app.
I can remember my younger brother torturing our family by playing Monopoly and forcing us to pay property tax out the wazoo (all I ever wanted was Boardwalk and Parkplace man). He would slum lord us all by buying up the cheapest properties early on, forever stealing my hopes and dreams of becoming a board game millionaire. However, the idea of real world Monopoly with actual shops and properties sounds like a lot of fun. Though the numbers already speak for themselves, we think MyTown has a good chance at becoming a successful location based service.
Oneupweb Review: Thumbs Up
