Munzee – Scavenger Hunt

July 24, 2014

Podcast Episode 22: Rob’s Red-eye Flights across the Rhine, wrapping up the Birthday Fiesta, and Rob “drops” some teasers!

This episode of the Munzee podcast is a media overload! Be sure to check our Youtube channel tomorrow for some behind the scenes fun!

This week’s topics:

1. Europe <3’s coachV! Rob revisits his trip to Cologne for the 2nd Annual Europe event. This massive event had over 100 players, and definitely shows Team Munzee our players have the potential to put on a major event!

2. Some interesting ideas get passed onto Rob when he attends an event. Did we mention coachV brings special goodies when he travels to events?

3. Points and Clan stats! How you doing (wink-wink)?

4. Wrapping up the #FiestaThree birthday and some last minute celebrations! Be sure to get your Munzee Birthday photos to iLoveYou@Munzee.com and we’ll try to squeeze them into our big birthday project!

5. Dylan butchered the names of the winners of the prize day Monday so here are the winners:

Vin22
penfieldparty
SeekNmunz
Georiffles
Pinguin01
TheIrishDuo
MatJar2
mhoefing
shie
DaddyOMommyO
McAdies
Spino

Send all feedback and suggestions to podcast@munzee.com! Thanks for listening!

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

July 24, 2014

Birthday Reseller Sale!

While most of our birthday has been about giving back to our players, we want to take some time to acknowledge (and reward) those who further the Munzee business across the world. Today our birthday celebration includes a group of people we’ve come to appreciate over the past 18 months, our authorized resellers! They will receive a 33% discount for the next 72 hours on orders for next month’s product.

We’re sure players will see a portion of that discount passed on by the resellers during the next month on some items as a continued celebration of the 3rd birthday. We appreciate what the resellers do to grow the game of Munzee and provide quick regional and worldwide shipping options. Check them out at www.munzee.com/retail. Players, don’t forget that if you actually go to an authorized Munzee reseller’s physical location you’ll receive a special badge as well. Online orders won’t get you the badge though so find a reseller location near you!

We’d also like to thank the resellers for working through a minor issue that has come up over the last 4 weeks with some duplicate minizees that were printed by our supplier. The issue has been worked out, but any player effected by this problem should reach out to their reseller or MHQ via support@munzee.com.

July 24, 2014

Munzee Player of the Week: Nathan Toliver (Semipaw)

What makes Munzee stand out among the sea of smartphone apps is its close ties to healthy activity. While the Munzee community is deeply devoted to ever-evolving technology, we also encourage our players to continue to get out into the world and adventure. Whether it’s the urban landscapes or countryside, Munzee takes its players all over. Nathan Toliver (SemiPaw) is this week’s Player of the Week and his love of the wilderness is fueled even more by his love of finding greenies.

Who are you?
My name is Nathan Toliver and my munzee handle is Semipaw.

Where in the world do you live?
I live in the heart of the Ozarks smack dab in the middle of the Midwest (Ozark, Missouri, USA).

How long have you played Munzee?
I began munzeeing in February of 2014.

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
I’ve always enjoyed getting outside and exploring, especially hiking on trails and getting out into the woods. We have plenty of trails here in the Ozarks region of southern Missouri and northern Arkansas and when I looked at the map and saw a bunch of munzees lining many of our trails, it gave me one more reason to get outdoors and go for a hike. Although I enjoy all munzees, I really like the ones that are placed out on the trails and require a little effort to cap. My favorites are the lonely greenies that have been deployed years ago and have gotten very few (if any) visitors. I find it exciting to find something that had been hanging (or sticking) quietly for so long without being found. There are so many lonely little greenies hanging out here in the Ozarks, it will probably take me years to cap them all. But that’s my goal.

I also really enjoy the clan wars. I love having goals each month to work toward. I find it a lot of fun to track me and my clanmates progress each month as we work toward a common goal. Speaking of clans, I must give a shout out to the Ozark Power Players clan. We’ve got a great clan, have a lot of fun, and shoot for chuck (or now super-chuck when we can) every month. It’s a great group of people who really try to help each other every month.

What is on your wish list?
As one can imagine, I really enjoyed the triple points day on greenies that occurred in July. I spent almost the whole day out in the hot July sun deploying and capping greenies that day. I would love to see more days like that. Even a double point day would be appreciated. I also would love to see greenie captures incorporated more into the clan wars, to get more people out capping them.

Tell us about yourself…
I’ve lived in the Ozarks my whole life. Whenever I’m not munzeeing, I enjoy getting outdoors and hiking (which now usually incorporates munzeeing). My wife and I have been married for almost 14 years, and we have eight children that keep us busy. I am passionate about nature and preserving natural areas for future generations. I love the fact that munzees can lead me to a place I have yet to explore, and allows me to take others to such places.

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

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 21, 2014

Meet Munzee Munday: The Munzee Marketplace!

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. Team Munzee is a bit busy this week moving into the new office, continuing birthday celebrations and just staying cool in this Texas summer heat. So instead of showcasing an actual Munzee employer this week, we’re showing off the latest addition to the team, The Munzee Marketplace!

Name and Title:
I’m the Munzee Marketplace!

Where are you from?
Right in the heart of Munzee Headquarters in McKinney, TX. I live at 111 E. Virginia which McKinney residents will know as the former Garrett Art Gallery. Unfortunately after 29 years in downtown McKinney the Art Gallery had to close it’s doors in April 2014. Although we were sad to see it go, we’re excited to continue to honor the downtown McKinney spirit and make the space thrive.

Tell us about yourself!
What started as a front for our QR based scavenger hunt app, the Munzee Marketplace has evolved into so much more. Featuring Breadwinners sandwiches and many more notable DFW area goods, the Marketplace brings local fare to a new level. Munzee is eager to become a staple in the McKinney community. Munzee has something for everyone, even more so now. Whether you are a Munzee player or you work in downtown McKinney, the Marketplace is here to serve your needs. Looking for a quick grab and go snack on your lunch break? Interested in a compelling, competitive smartphone app with an international fan base? Stop by the Munzee Marketplace and we’d be happy to help.

How long have you worked for Munzee?
I’m a bit new… Technically I haven’t even started yet, but we’re hoping to change that very soon! The doors to the Munzee Marketplace will open soon and just today Team Munzee started moving into the new office space! Although the tech guys are huffing a bit about the manual labor, we’re all very excited to move into the much larger (and more appealing) space!

How did you discover Munzee?
Really, Munzee discovered me. What started as simply a need for more space at MHQ turned into the something so much bigger. Team Munzee saw a need for downtown McKinney to have a grab and go convenience store. Although there are a number of great places to dine downtown, it can get pricey for the business owners and employees downtown to eat out every day. The Munzee Marketplace is dedicated to offering a quick, affordable bite to eat.

What do you enjoy most about Munzee?
Munzee, much like Downtown McKinney, is unique by nature. While it may not seem like a logical step for a QR based scavenger hunt app to open a Marketplace, Munzee isn’t interested in doing whats logical. We’re constantly looking at interesting new ways to shake things up and my creation is only the next in a long line of ideas coming to fruition!

What are some of your other hobbies?

Serving the fine people of McKinney a tasty, yet affordable lunch.
Getting Munzee players everything they need including game pieces, apparel and souvenirs.
Providing Team Munzee with as much craft coffee as needed to keep them alert and focused on expanding the game!

Famous last words?

“In a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible.”
– Seth Godin

July 21, 2014

Munzee Game Prize Day Begins!

It’s a busy day at MHQ today, but more on that later. Although Team Munzee will be hard at work making “moves,” it’s still a third day of the birthday month, which means good things for the players! Today we’ll be awarding game prizes to random captures made throughout the day. Although the prizes will be a bit more scarce, by getting out and capping today you have the chance to win:

Premium Membership Packs
$25 Munzee Store Giftcards
$50 Munzee Store Giftcards

The presents will be awarded to random captures after the day ends. So those who cap from 11 AM (MHQ time) Monday July 21st until 11 AM the next day will have a chance to win one of the Munzee prizes. Remember the more you cap the better chance you have at winning, so don’t let a case of the Mondays hurt you chances!

July 18, 2014

Virtual Munzee Birthday Party

Although we at Team Munzee have had a ton of fun celebrating our third birthday, we’re missing a vital piece of this puzzle: our players. So throughout this weekend we want you all to show us how you celebrate Munzee. From July 18th until Sunday the 20th share your pictures and videos with us on social media. Just add #BirthdayMunzee in your posts and we’ll include your submission in a munzee video/slideshow for everyone to see.

We want everyone across the world in this. Whether you’re eating cake, singing happy birthday or shooting off fireworks we want to see it. And that’s not all, If you share your content on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram with the correct #BirthdayMunzee you’ll be entered for a chance to win more birthday prizes. Remember it’s only from today until Sunday, so make sure to get your submissions in.

On behalf of everyone here at Munzee thank you for three great years of support and we can’t wait to see how you celebrate the 21st Century Scavenger Hunt we all know and Love.

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!

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.

What 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!

-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?

At 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.

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.

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!

Name 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 😉

How 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 share 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?
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!

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