PLAYER OF THE WEEK

May 1, 2014

Munzee Player of the Week: JS Seegars (Sseegars)

This week’s player of the week is a quiet sort of player. The player that spends his time enjoying the best of Munzee: getting outdoors, spending time with the family, and riding magical invisible pink unicorns. A friendly face on Social Media, and always eager to meet with any player headed towards his neck of the woods, this week’s Player of the Week is JS Seegars (Sseegars)!

Who are you? sseegars

Where in the world do you live? Kershaw, USA

How long have you played Munzee? 1,002 days

How did you find Munzee? Munzee came up in conversation with a fellow ‘cacher who was beta testing the app for iPhone. I was very hesitant to get into Munzee at first. I was a hardcore cacher and I just didn’t think Munzee would catch on. But I like firsts. I like being first in things and so I placed the first Munzee in South Carolina! I deployed it three years ago and my wife was FTC one year ago. Only two captures on it now, LOL! (Editor’s Note: Everyone head to South Carolina: http://www.munzee.com/map/dnnswddyp/13!)

What do you enjoy most about Munzee? I’m not a die-hard player, but my wife is, and I’m so supportive of her and Munzee! She liked caching but wasn’t as into it as I was. This has given us both something to do together! We discuss Munzee several times a day. Add to that the social interaction online with the various pages and groups and I am happy to be a part of the Munzee family. I am a stay at home Dad and being online is sometimes my only adult interaction during the day.

Another aspect that I really enjoy and I want to be clear about upfront is Rob’s involvement in the game. He’s always around. He’s not just the president, he’s also a player. I am not badmouthing caching but I really never saw that “in other games” and I’ve actually met the folks in charge for those games/hobbies! Rob is more involved and approachable and that means something to me!

I enjoy Munzee because I can place most anywhere. I don’t have a reviewer looking over my shoulder. That’s something that finally drove me away from caching. I often go out for a wander on weekends (Saturdays are my day off) with my camera and find some interesting thing or place that I can bring another player to. It’s not the points for me. It’s the discovery of new things, or old things. I do love old houses.

What is on your wish list? Franklin, TN in the foreseeable future! I would love to go back to Europe especially now with Munzee.

I want to see historical icons. I have part of that with quiz munzees and have started placing those with that in mind. I would love to see a set of Munzees that give an increasing point range as you go along a historical trail of Munzees to a payoff of points at the end. I think that would be useful in getting both the curious and the ones out for points onto a trail like that. I always like to learn new things about an area when I’m out wandering. That’s how I used to cache.

Tell us about yourself!

My handle is something that my parents came up with, lol. First initial and last name. I am awful about picking a handle and changing it. So here I just went with a handle I’ve had for years.

I am forty-five, married, with two kids. Mags is maseegars, our children play with us, and we all use the same handles for our Munzee player names. I had to keep it simple and going the same way I did with their handles seemed to be the best way.

I usually Munzee with the wife. I have been known to Munzee with WallynSC when I can get his decrepit old body out of the house!

I love photography and history, science fiction and fantasy, and I watch WAY too much TV. I am also a heavy reader. I have a huge interest in mythology and books on the occult, ghost stories and just the general weird stuff that’s out there. There is a lot of strangeness in the world. I want to see it all.

One of the thing I really enjoy in the Facebook groups is Unicornification Nation, It’s nice to be a part of that. I enjoy the back and forth when it really gets rolling.

I wanted to mention this, the whole Unicorn thing. I’m part Scottish. It’s heritage not hate. LOL, Check out that beautiful national animal (and my Social):

I wouldn’t want to go too far on this, but it’s important. Was that way too far? 😉

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!

April 24, 2014

Munzee Player of the Week: Larry Butler (Hans415)

This week’s Player of the week positive was nominated by two awesome, anonymous friends in the online Munzee community! Our POTW this week displays an incredible “Social Spirit” – a consistent (and amusing quest) for Munzee badges, and friendly attitude towards all players he interacts with! The Munzee Player of the Week is Larry Butler, aka Hans415!

Who are you? Hans415

Where in the world do you live? Yerington, Nevada USA

How long have you played Munzee? 828 Days old, almost 2 1/2 years

How did you find Munzee?

I was introduced to Munzee by a Friend (RazzTazzzz) as he and I were cachers before that. I wasn’t immediately hooked on it but I did not fully understand it all at that time. I was re-introduced to it about a year later and was HOOKED from that time on.

What do you enjoy most about Munzee? The Hunt! And the Hide and the friendliness of the Munzee Staff. I also love going for the Badges and wait with abated breath for new ones to pop up. (Editor’s note: Expect the Unexpected Larry! We’ve got a few more headed your way)

What is on your wish list? My List is to be able to go to Angels Stadium, DisneyLand, and to attend the MMIV. My long list is to do Franklin, TN and be able to Visit MHQ in Texas soon. I also have a Goal to deploy 6000 Munzees of all sorts in a Large Desert Munzee run.

Tell us about yourself! I am a guy that gets very passionate about whatever I do. My wife just shakes her head anymore when I come up with new ideas. I drove professionally for 33 years and enjoyed it very much. I am a retired man that enjoys the Munzee game and I feverishly embrace it everyday. I am happily married to my best friend, but it took me a long time to find her. The fateful day she went into a popular game site, I got her hooked on me 14 years ago. She lets me Munzee wherever I want and when I want. I live in the desert by choice and I love every moment of it as it gives me an open pallet to paint the desert with munzees. I love being with my wife at all times and I take her out with me to Munzee a lot also. I have a Munzee Partner that I go with and we enjoy placing and capping munzees together.

Sean, Bob and I (Picture taken by Countrybear) Munzeeing in Gilroy. Can you tell I am tired?

Other hobbies include; Caching, I also love caching, did I mention caching yet? My Caching and Munzee partner and I have created and are creating one of the Biggest caching runs in the world. With the help of other Cachers (Joe, Steve, Ginny and Kumi Team) we were able to place a 131 mile Eagle. Wes (caching/munzee) partner and I also created the TS run with more then 4000+ caches. I am also the creator of the 50 State Star and we have just a few states to go before every state has 50 stars in them. We are also creating the Nazca lines which should be open sometime in the near Future. As Rob would say, just another 1000 hours 🙂

Whoever nominated me, I want to thank them and I am honored by this. Larry was awesome enough to share his Social with us! Be sure to cap it:

-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!

April 17, 2014

Player of the Week: Designer Trish Vandehey (Vanderarban)

You may not always “see” this player out and about, or as an active face on Team Munzee, but she’s the amazingly creative mind behind every pin we hunt after, every badge we seek out, and all the stunning graphics we see on the website and Social Media. This week’s Player of the Week goes to our very own Team Munzee Designer, Trish Vandehey (Vanderarban)! Let’s take a moment to get to know the incredibly creative player that’s brought us Mustaches, must-earn badges, and impossible Munzee-capable smartphone printers!

Who are you?

Trish Vandehey aka Vanderarban

Where in the world do you live?

Denison Texas, a little town on the border of Oklahoma on beautiful Lake Texoma and just an hour north of Munzee Headquarters! (Editor’s note: Perfect Munzee scenery and MHQ? That deserves the lucky “badge” right there!)

How long have you played Munzee? Almost a year

How did you find Munzee?

I had gone out with my other half, Hayden, to do some walking and caching. While searching out the first one at the entrance to the park I spotted a Munzee. I had seen a few articles about it in the previous year and had mentioned it to Hayden, so I was pretty excited to spot one and be reminded about the game. Unfortunately, my signal was really bad and I was unable to capture the Munzee. But the second I got home I made an account and starting playing. I plan on going back soon to scan that first Munzee.

How did Munzee “Find” you (how did you become a member of Team Munzee)?

I was in contact with Rob from almost the start. Hayden and I had met up with him a few times to play and offered our talents excitedly to grow the game. Later on Rob contacted us to help out with a project and that was followed by BADGES! It’s been a great ride ever since!

Trish and Rob introduce us to Rover!

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?

Hmm, that is a tough question. I really love everything about Munzee!

Initially Munzee was a great excuse to get out and get moving. I have a tendency to “forget” about cardio when I get wrapped up in everything going on. Munzee gives me motivation to get out and get stepping!

The player community is really amazing. I started using the forums and later Munzee Madness Facebook group as a new player to learn more about optimizing my Munzee experience. Everyone was really awesome and helpful. There was a real sense of community. I have made some really great friends both far and near (a few I have yet to meet)!

Trish is the center of attention (or at least this group shot) of cool players met at MM III!

I think one of the biggest assets Munzee has that I noticed from the start was the Team. I was really impressed as a new player how involved Team Munzee was in the player community. Whether chatting online or at an event they are really active within the player community. I am really lucky to have the opportunity to work with such a great group of people!

What is on your wish list for Munzee?

I’m really excited about how much Munzee has grown since I started playing, I am looking forward to seeing it get even bigger and be in the middle of it.

I had a lot of fun at MM3 and look forward to seeing a future mega Munzee event that I would be able to attend and meet some of the amazing players that I haven’t had the opportunity to meet in person.

Vanderarban and Rynee having a silly time at Munzee Madness III!

Specials, I really like those, who doesn’t 😉 And maybe some really cool ridiculously hard to figure out badges.

Tell us about yourself!

I grew up in Oregon where I spent most of my time wandering around in the woods. I moved to Dallas about 20 years ago and after awhile decided I needed to be somewhere with more trees again so I moved north to Lake Texoma. I have a really amazing fiance, Hayden, who is also a designer and sometimes helps me out with the artwork when I have creative block or he isn’t to busy. We are raising five, yes i said FIVE, children together. ” Insert silly country girl joke here ” -after all I do run around barefoot most of the time 😉

When you’re not drawing up the latest icons, Facebook covers, or coming up with amazing event ideas, how are you spending your free time?

Free time? What’s that? Just kidding. Actually, as it may be becoming apparent, I really enjoy the outdoors. When it is warm I like to hike and spend time at the lake. I’m a crafter of just about anything I can dream up, from costumes to soap. I also enjoy reading, singing bad karaoke and travelling when I can (insert “Hangover” movie reference here).

Trish was awesome enough to share her special Social with us, here it is below!

Thanks Trish for all you contribute to Munzee, and we hope to see you at more events! Maybe we’ll hear you on the podcast soon?

If you know a player that should be nominated for Munzee Player of the Week, shoot us a message at iLoveYou@Munzee.com -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!

April 10, 2014

Player of the Week Mark Holmes and a special Team Munzee announcement!

April is Autism Awareness month, a month that hits home to many in the Munzee community. This week, we’d like to honor a pillar of the Munzee community, share his family’s story, and reach out to the community in a big way.

This week’s Player of the Week is Mark Holmes (player Rosemark). Mark’s family has an incredible story to share with us, and we’d like to show our support this month. Check out this Player of the Week interview, and then get involved with Munzee’s plans for April!

Who are you?

We are the Holmes family. Mark and Roseanna Holmes, Kevin and Katlynn Holmes, Tony, and Melissa. The family Munzee name is (Rosemark). I, Mark Holmes, Munzees under the name Rosemark. Roseanna has her own account (Tupperose). Kevin and Katlynn Munzee under (Computerwiz41). Tony and Melissa are special needs adults and Munzee with the family.

Where in the world do you live? Noble, OK USA

How long have you played Munzee? Just under a year.

How did you find Munzee?

My family is an avid team of cachers for the same reasons that we are into Munzee. At a caching event, we were introduced to Munzee by another player, Team2MM. I found it intriguing and saw it as a perfect park and grab game, but it was weeks later before I actually tried it. I was hooked on my first night out because my two special needs children thoroughly enjoyed it.

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?

The family atmosphere. Having special needs children/adults (they are grown but will live at home forever), it is a wonderful activity for the family that they can fully participate in and it is therapeutic to their social and physical needs.

What is on your wishlist?

I would like to see more special badges and special icons that the family can pursue and achieve!

Tell us about yourself!

I am a retired Police Officer of 23 years on the force, and now work for a well-known convenience store. My wife, Roseanna, is a stay at home mother. My son Kevin and his wife Katlynn live nearby. Tony and Melissa are special needs adults. They have Fragile X Syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes physical and mental disabilities. As a result of the Fragile X, Tony has also been diagnosed with Autism and Extreme ADHD. Melissa is legally blind without her glasses, but can see sufficiently to get by with glasses. Both are developmentally delayed to the mental capacity of approximately nine years of age. This is why Munzee is such a great advantage to our family as both Tony and Melissa thoroughly enjoy the hunt and it helps them physically and mentally in their development.

Thank you for your support during this Autism Awareness Month!

Mark and his family have shared their awesome Social Munzees with us. Check them out below and then scroll down for a special announcement from the Team!

To celebrate and bring awareness to April’s Autism theme, Team Munzee has deployed 680 special icons on the map. 680 represents the 1:68 ratio of children born with autism currently. These special icons will be placed on the map only on regular greenies that aren’t in maintenance mode.

When a heart has been captured the icon will bounce somewhere else in the world, only one capture per heart at a location. Any player may capture the icon, even on a Munzee you have captured previously. The only exception is if a heart lands on a Munzee you own, you are never able to capture a Munzee you own. You will earn a special capture heart icon for each heart you cap. If the heart isn’t captured within 6 hours it will move on to a new location around the world. The points for capture will be exactly like a diamond, the owner and capper will split a sum of 20 points. For example, 7 for cap gives 13 for owner, 9 for cap gives 11 for owner. Hearts will remain on the map until the end of April, so stay patient and keep one eye on the map. We encourage you to show your support and cap as many as you can! In order to show our support for this cause, Munzee will donate 50 cents for each heart captured to an autism charity selected with the help of the Holmes family.

A special map has been created at www.munzee.com/autism to help players find these special icons on nearby munzees! Premium members can also use the “specials” filter online and in app. **Don’t forget to watch for a nearby Munzee Rover while you are out there!**

Update:

$5000 donation made to Doug Flutie Jr. Foundation for Autism after researching organizations making the best use of incoming funds. Thanks to all Munzee players for capturing hearts and raising Awareness for Autism during the month of April. Keep making a difference while you grow the map!

April 3, 2014

Player of the Week: Tarah Hamilton (tarirae)

Sparkly nails and a shiny, positive attitude! From the very beginning, this new Munzee player has been eager to lend the community (and Team Munzee) a helping hand. This week’s Player of the Week is Tarah Hamilton, player name Tarirae!

Who are you?

Tarah Hamilton (tarirae)

Where in the world do you live?

Alliance, Ohio USA

How long have you played Munzee?

Technically I signed up over a year and a half ago but never played. I actually started playing about 6 months ago.

How did you find Munzee?

I was on the phone with a friend telling him that I needed a way to get my kids outside and keep ME busy at the same time. He suggested Munzee and explained what it was. After downloading the app, I noticed there was not much in the area and scraped the idea. It wasn’t until a year later that I was deleting apps on my phone and looked at it again. I saw there were about 10 close to me and searched for them. I was hooked after that!

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?

The amazing places I find. Sometimes it’s a restaurant I’ve never been to or a park I didn’t know existed. Recently I made my first trip to downtown Pittsburgh, Pa just to get a MVM garden. It was only 14 degrees that day, and kids were in school, but it was a wonderful day trip. Even though at one point I couldn’t feel my fingers through my gloves anymore, and was yelling “45 points!” through chattering teeth, I still had a smile plastered on my face.

What is on your wish list?

I would love to get 10k in one day. I know around here that would be impossible… for now, so I hope to make a trip down to the Franklin, TN and go for the gardens there. My other is maybe a recruiter badge (hint hint) Since I started, I have talked about Munzee so much that I have gotten at least 8 people to try it and a few of them hooked.

Tell us about yourself!

I am currently a stay at home mother of two young boys (6 & 8) and an indie author of the book “Copperback”. I have recently done some freelance writing for Munzee including the new webpage (if you find a misspelling, I blame my editor!) My oldest son has ADHD and struggles with stepping away from his comfort zone of electronics and games. Munzee has been a big help in showing him that he can use technology while keeping him physically active while we hike around town. My youngest son now gets excited anytime he sees a QR code on anything and begs me to scan it for points. Usually we try to go out on the weekends and find a place on the map we have never been before.

Other hobbies include;

Outdoor photography with my Canon Rebel, crocheting anything I can, and writing my second book as well as short stories. I also have started doing nail art and helping make nail polish with a friend of mine. I keep an Instagram (@tarirae) of new polishes and nail art tutorials.

Tarah was awesome enough to share her Social with us. Check it out:

Player of the Week: Maureen McCarty (Turtle)

This week’s Player of the Week received several player nominations, and everyone that nominated her emphasized two essential qualities that make a great POTW: Eagerness to grow the map, and a passion for helping their local Munzee community! Let’s all get to know this ever-friendly, super-star Munzee player in Arkansas! This week’s Player of the Week is Maureen McCarty, aka Turtle.

Who are you? Hi, I am Maureen McCarty, player name TURTLE!

Where in the world do you live? I live in Russellville, a small town nestled in a river valley NW of Little Rock, Arkansas USA

How long have you played Munzee?

Almost since the beginning, I capped my first Munzee in August of 2011. It was a little slow to catch on around here, but as the app improved and data coverage in the area picked up, the game took off. By Christmas I was a certified addict!

How did you find Munzee?

A fellow cacher introduced me to it on the trail. This is an extremely active caching area and about 80% of the first Munzees I found were hidden inside caches. That was forced to change as more people got interested, because of the difference between the instant notification of a Munzee and the delayed publication of a new cache.

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?

I enjoy getting out in the fresh air to explore, walking trails and spending time with my best Munzee buddy (my husband HAWG) away from the realities of an otherwise busy life. I also enjoy the competition generated by chasing holiday specials and seeing who can claim the top spot on my friends list.

What is on your wish list?

Wow, tough question because I am greedy! More holiday specials, more icons and badges. I love collecting all the pretty pictures. Maybe smaller clans for some wars, with only 5-6 people each. Probably my biggest wish is for my top 100 badge! I was in the top 100 for about a year, finally falling out just a few months before badges came out. 🙁

Tell us about yourself!
I was born in Minnesota and lived in 5 other states before coming to rest here in Arkansas over 30 years ago. In 1979, I married a wonderful man who remains my best friend and playmate. We have two grown children and four wonderful grandchildren, one of whom learned to count, add and even subtract by age 4 because we would take him munzeeing with us.

Other hobbies include; Road trips, beaches, caching, genealogy, stained glass work and reading.

Maureen was sweet enough to share her Social Munzee with us! Here it is: http://www.munzee.com/m/TURTLE/2437/EO992G/

March 20, 2014

Munzee Player of the Week: Michel Paverick (Paverick)

An international Munzee star. A passionate player that sought to be #1. The first player to reach 1 million points! This week’s Player of the Week is Michel Paverick (Paverick)!

Who are you?

Hi I am Michel Paverick. In English Michael Paverick.

Where in the world do you live?
I live in Belgium, Europe. In the region of Flanders, Heusden-Zolder.

How long have you played Munzee?
I am playing Munzee for about two years. I have captured and deployed my first Munzee in March 2012.

How did you find Munzee?
I started off as a ‘cacher, and then another ‘cacher, named The Bat, told me about Munzee. At first we started playing the game together and since that moment I was addicted to the game! In the beginning there were only a few players, 3 or 4.

In order to get a lot of points we went to Germany (along the Rhine between Bonn and Cologne) to capture some greenies.

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
Addicted to points, points and more points 🙂 What I really like is that it is an outdoor activity.
I also like the competition and the clan battles. At first I was a player in the clan HummelHummel.
I had a wonderful time in the clan HummelHummel and I have met some very nice people. Later on we have started a clan with some local players, the clan Flanders Munzee Association. Together we plan several Munzee activities. Mostly I am on the road with Tinkerbel.

What is on your wish list?
I wish that Munzee keeps innovating in new things. Most of all I would like to see more virtual game pieces because Munzee stickers are not allowed everywhere. Another item on my wish list is that I do not have to make another 1.000.000 points to level up 🙂

That’s one way to level up, just get higher!

Tell us about yourself!
My name is Michel Paverick. I live together with Elly, known as Muizeke and our 2 daughters Margo and Emma. I was born in Antwerp (The Antwerp Virtual Garden).

Other hobbies include;
Geolocating games, treasure hunting, hiking, biking, mountainbiking, wildwater kayaking!

Paverick was awesome enough to share his Social Munzee with us! Check it out below:

http://www.munzee.com/m/Paverick/9164/856VVA/

Also, here’s a link to all of Paverick’s public social munzees: https://www.facebook.com/Paverick.social.munzees

For his hardwork, and dedication to Munzee, Paverick has been awarded a special icon in his hometown. This special Munzee pin commemorates Paverick being the first player to achieve a 1 million point score!

March 13, 2014

Team Munzee Player of the Week: Scott Foster (Coolant)

We’ve received a lot of feedback regarding Player of the Week interviews, and some of the top requested interviews are for the players that make up Munzee as a company. You want to get to know Team Munzee. Who are the mysterious, magnificent faces behind Munzee HQ? Well, this week, we’ve decided to start interviewing our own. And what better person to launch Team Munzee interviews than the man that brought us the new website: Scott Foster!

Who are you?

My name is Scott Foster, 31 years old, married with 2 kids ( 3rd kid due in a month ) and VP of Technology for Munzee. My player name is coolant.

Coolant developed a love of all things Apple and Tech at a young age!

Where in the world do you live?

Just north of Dallas, TX

When did the co-founders first come up with the idea of Munzee?

I met Aaron at a Computer Gaming LAN Event called TANGO (Texas Area Network Gaming Organization). He was one of the founding members of TANGO and I went up to him and asked if they had somebody that ran Counterstrike (a computer videogame) tournaments. He said no, so I said I would do it. Aaron moved on from doing TANGO and I kept doing it for many more years.

Here is a picture of Aaron and I (and the rest of the TANGO crew) from Jan 2001:

Then life happened, Aaron and I lost touch for many years until we reconnected on Facebook… Fast forward 10 years later (2011), my wife and I were moving back to Texas from Pennsylvania. Aaron knew I did coding and asked if I could help him with a project called “Munzee”. Aaron is a very smart individual so I knew I had to help him out, and it sounded cool. So the four founders – Aaron, Chris, Josh, and myself met for a wonderful Mexican dinner ( https://goo.gl/maps/wWId5 ) on a cold Februrary night and started making Munzee a reality.

And here’s a picture when Munzee became an actual business!

We know you’re busy at work, keeping the servers running, and keeping the game going strong. When does your Munzee day start, and when does it end?

When it comes to any website, it’s a job that requires 24/7/365 monitoring. I work mostly 8am – 6pm Monday through Friday, but I am constantly tweaking things on the weekends or late at night just to make things better. For instance, the weekend is the busiest time for Munzee. So I may work all week to fix a problem and find it’s not working so well on the weekend. Also, a lot of Europeans play Munzee and they are 6-7 hours ahead of Munzee HQ. I’ve woken up many times at 4am on a Saturday just to make sure people in Europe can have a great time playing Munzee or stay up till 4am to make sure Australians can have fun too!

When Munzee first launched, did you consider yourself an active player? How would you compare yourself to the active players today?

No. I’ve never been a real active player. I always joke that I am afraid to capture because if it takes a while or doesn’t go through, it’s another thing to fix. Although if I go to a big park, airport, or stadium – I’ll capture some munzees just to prove to Rob that I play Munzee. I also will capture some socials if I know the person or just want to test things. Playing Munzee is like the people that work at a McDonalds will eat anything EXCEPT McDonalds.

What’s your favorite Munzee? Why?

When Munzee first started, anytime Aaron and I were together – we would deploy munzees to grow the map. We went into downtown Dallas and I deployed a munzee at Dealey Plaza. It’s the infamous Dallas location where JFK was shot (grassy knoll, sixth floor musuem, etc…). It’s a popular tourist place and I figured maybe somebody would surely discover Munzee there. Nobody did for a while, and I honestly forgot about it. Fast forward a few months, and I was telling Lance (my boss at the job I had when I started Munzee) about this fun game I made called Munzee. He seemed mildly interested, but nothing happened more from that. He then comes to me the next day and says “Hey! I found that Munzee at Dealey Plaza.” I was shocked. Somebody I talked to actually played Munzee. It was the first time that I thought that Munzee might actually become something more.

Side note – I still talk to Lance and he is very proud of where Munzee is. You can check out that Munzee here: http://www.munzee.com/m/coolant/2/

What surprises you more: new player growth, clan wars, or super high scores (1 million points)?

Wow, that’s tough. I love all 3. I think my favorite part about Munzee is that there are so many different ways to play. You can join a clan and work on beating other clans, you can be #1 on your friends list, you can try to get all the badges, trade social munzees, etc. I can’t wait till Rover comes out and see how people use that.

Where do you see Munzee in three years?

Three years is a long time. Munzee itself is just three years old! I hope it continues to grow; 10 million deployments, 100 million captures, and a million users sounds great. But, I hope that people will still feel like it’s THEIR game. I always want to be a company where people feel that they always have a connection with Munzee HQ. We are so grateful for our players, so we want to make sure we always have a connection to them.

If there were one Munzee player you could meet (or have already), or one Munzee location you could go, who or where?

I really want to meet robje64 – “Dutch Rob”. He has been tremendous as far as helping Munzee grow in Europe and telling me when there are issues. He seems like a great guy and will always have a special place in my heart. Also that mustache he has looks amazing. 😉

Tell us about yourself! If you’re not working for or playing Munzee, how do you spend your off-time?

Playing with my family! I have a 3.5 year old daughter, 1.5 year old son, and another girl that’s due in a month. My kids and my wife make up most of the day when I am not working on Munzee.

But if they are napping or late at night – I still love video games. I love Final Fantasy games – Final Fantasy 6 is my favorite game of all time and has my favorite song in it, “Maria and Draco.” I think all Zelda games are great, and Counterstrike: Global Offensive! I have recently got into watching “Speedrunning” -it’s people trying to beat games as fast as they can using all kinds of glitches, exploits, and timing (something I find very interesting). I also love sports, mostly college sports like basketball and football. Texas A&M is my favorite team – Gig’em Munzee!

Thanks so much Scott for being this week’s Team Munzee POTW!

Check out Scott’s POTW Social here:

March 6, 2014

Players of the Week: Susan and Mark (CalvertCachers)!

One of the many US-based Munzee communities we respect is Maryland, and we’ve got quite a few amazing players out there! This week’s Player(s) of the Week are right at home in the Chesapeake Bay. Everyone, please welcome Mark & Susan Kelley (Calvertcachers) as this week’s Players of the Week!

Who are you? Mark and Susan Kelley, AKA Calvertcachers.

We also Munzee with our grandchildren Logan, LilCrab and Meli.

Where in the world do you live? We live in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland which is in the southern part of Maryland along the Chesapeake Bay.

How long have you played Munzee? We actually heard about Munzee when it first began but didn’t begin until a year ago, February 2013. Over the past year we have had a great time and are now officially addicted!

How did you find Munzee?

We learned about Munzee through a local group (MGS). Their website can be found at:

www.mdgps.org.

-Many MGS members Munzee and over the past year it has become more and more popular!

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?

We like how Munzee works to keep the game fresh with new specials and programs. We have really enjoyed all of the specials over the past year, and on many occasions, we have ran out after work to cap a special or work to earn a new badge. We love challenges! Badges were also a very nice addition. Our grandson now how his own account, and when he is with us, we let him cap and he gets SO excited when he earns a new badge.

We also love the Virtual and Virtual Mystery Munzee’s! These were a great addition. Especially since we live in a region with high security (Washington, D.C.) it is great to be able to place Munzee’s that showcase points of interest. Plus we have enjoyed placing virtuals in other parts of the Country and seeing all of the caps. Our grandson LilCrab just launched a social Munzee recently and he is enjoying seeing the comments from folks all around the world! He even shared with his first grade class.

We also enjoy doing hiking but in the summer months in southern Maryland, the ticks and chiggers have gotten fierce. Many folks in our area have been diagnosed with serious tick borne illnesses so we have reached a point to where we don’t want to do any deep woods hiking in the summer.

Thank goodness for Munzee because we now are having a great time Munzee’ing in the summer (and all year round) and it has offered us a way to feed our challenging spirits 🙂

What is on your wish list?

We are just a few thousand points away from reaching 100K so this will be an exciting milestone. Providing that we don’t get hit with another major snow storm in the next few days, we hope to reach this goal within the next week. We both enjoy history and since we live in a history rich area, we would like to incorporate more quiz munzee’s and make some type of challenge or Munzee History trail. Sue has been thinking about this for several months so we hope to have something soon.

We would also like to host a Munzee event in Maryland and try to do something to make it extra fun.

Tell us about yourself!

We have been happily married for 33 years, and have two children and three grandchildren. Mark is retired from the Maryland-National Capital Park & Planning Commission, Prince George’s Parks Department as a Maintenance Supervisor over historic sites. Sue has 26 years with the same agency but within the Prince George’s County Planning Department.
She is an Administrative Manager over Office, Publications and Web Support Services. We have always loved the outdoors; hiking, fishing, crabbing, camping, and caching. Since we live along the Chesapeake Bay, we enjoy being on the water during the summer. There is nothing better than a fresh caught Chesapeake Bay crab feast!

We have been highly involved with the MGS over the past 10 years and have enjoyed the many caching related activities, and treasure all of the friendships we have made. We are happy to see that many of our caching friends are now having fun with Munzee!

Susan and Mark were awesome enough to share their social, and LilCrab’s social. Here they are:

February 20, 2014

Player of the Week: Josh Broadwater (H2OKLAN)

If we were to say player 1849 was the “beauty” of Munzee in California, then this player would be the “brawn”! This week’s Player of the Week was an “early adopter” and fan of Munzee, and has helped us grow from the early days. He’s a strong community leader/icon, not just with Munzee but in every day life. This week’s Player of the Week and co-host of the much anticipated Munzee Madness III event is Josh Broadwater, also known as H2OKLAN!

Who are you? H2OKLAN

Where in the world do you live? Yorba Linda, California USA! Home of the annual Munzee Madness event!

How long have you played Munzee? Since August 20th, 2011…50 days after Munzee launched.

How did you find Munzee?

I was attending an International ‘caching Day event in Irvine, CA and a guy (snapshot7, who is now a good friend of mine) was wearing a huge laminated necklace with this funny looking barcode on it. I asked him what it was and he explained it was a new game called Munzee and the barcode was called a QR code. He explained how it worked and also told me he and two of his friends were the only ones in Southern California who were playing so they wanted to introduce it to others. His excitement drew me in. I capped a few munzees that day, including his necklace, and knew I had found my new addiction. I deployed my first munzee a few hours later near my house and it is still deployed. http://www.munzee.com/m/H2OKLAN/1/

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?

When I first started playing, I had my sights set on taking over the #1 spot on the world leader board. To me, Munzee was all about the points and getting as many as I could as soon as possible. As I was the only one in my area, there were very few munzees to cap so I decided it was up to me to grow the map in my area. I had deployed well over 1500 munzees before one of them was capped. I wanted to get more people interested in Munzee so I deployed them in, and near, my own ‘caches. Well, after lots of work I reached my goal of taking over the #1 spot on the world leader board and stayed there for quite a while (Not sure exactly how long though). I was also the first person ever to reach 100,000 points the old fashioned way. Anyone else remember when greenies were the ONLY Munzee type?

One of the coolest things about Munzee was seeing people become members and begin “munzing” (an H2OKLAN term meaning hunting munzees) because of one of my deployed munzees. This was the case with one of my awesome friends, 1849. As he put it, “I first heard of Munzee in a couple of logs on one of my ‘caches. Two people mentioned finding it, as well as the Munzee that was located right nearby (one of H2OKLAN’s). So I googled “Munzee”, thought it sounded fun and downloaded the app. I then went out to my ‘cache, found the Munzee and capped it. From that point on, I was hooked!” This was the start of a great friendship…and Munzee Madness!!! I feel the best part is the friends I have made because of Munzee and Munzee Madness. I am a very social person and love talking and interacting with others that have the same interests!

1849 and I wanted to have a Munzee event so we could meet new friends and introduce Munzee to more people. We knew what we had to do but were not sure if we could do it. We toyed with ideas and things to do. After a couple of weeks, we knew what we wanted to do with our event. We had everything set. Everything but one important thing…a name for our event! We wanted a name that would stand out to everyone. I knew it was going to be held in March and everything on the television was about March Madness. I suggested the name Munzee Madness. 1849 smiled and we both knew that was it! This year will be the third Munzee Madness we have co-hosted (<–Click this link if you’re interested in learning more about Munzee Madness 3 or would like to attend)!

What is on your wish list?

My wish list is very simple…MORE EVENTS AND BADGES!!!

Since Munzee Madness is near and dear to my heart, I would like to see more people hosting events similar to Munzee Madness. It doesn’t have to be a huge event. All it has to have is “munzers” (another H2OKLAN term meaning people who play the game of Munzee) and a place to have fun and socialize! I’m here to help if you have questions on what to do and how to host your own event. You can always Contact me through Facebook!

Another thing I would like to see in the future is badges that are retroactive back to the beginning of Munzee. If you were #13 on the daily leader board ever, you would get the unlucky badge. If you ever had 314 points in one day, you would get the PI badge. I think you get the point.

I am very happy with the way things are going at MHQ and want to be involved in helping Munzee grow HUGE!!!

Tell us about yourself!

My name is Josh Broadwater (H2OKLAN). My wife’s name is Jenn and I’ve been lucky to be her husband for over 16 years. We have two kids Preston (ALPETERSON) and Lexi (DYNAMICDUO, her shared account with Jenn). We are big Anaheim Angels fans and love attending as many games as we can.

Other hobbies include;

I love the outdoors and, when I am not working, you will find me outside as much as I possibly can. I love munzing, caching, hiking and exploring. I love spending time with my wife and two kids whenever I can. I enjoy traveling with them and finding new things and places to explore. I am an avid shooter and am an NRA Certified Firearms Instructor and Range Safety Officer. I am also a Varsity Scout Coach with the Boy Scouts of America.

H2OKLAN was awesome enough to provide a Social Munzee for us!