An open letter to Niantic

Subject: An open letter to Niantic
From: Derek Robertson
Date: 30 Jul 2016

Dear Niantic,

Congratulations on the success of Pokemon Go, you have created a game that has brought the people of the world out of hiding, you have proven the power of technology to motivate and inspire people across the entire globe.

It is now time to put this to use in a way that will benefit the many people who are suffering on our planet. Mobile phones are so accessible these days that almost every person has one, even the people who are living rough.

I propose that you use the framework that you have created for Pokemon Go and Ingress to create a new game.

This game will be very similar in the fact that you use augmented reality to get people out in the streets to travel to destinations and earn points for completing goals.

The difference is that these goals are set by people in need.
If someone is sleeping rough in the street and do not have a blanket, they could set a goal for someone to deliver a blanket to them, and reward them with points when the blanket arrives.

If someone is unable to feed their child one night, they could set a goal to have food delivered and reward them with points in exchange for food.

If someones car has broken down and they are stranded, they could set a goal for assistance to get them on their way again.

Imagine the problems in this world that would disappear overnight if you could get even a small fraction of the Pokemon Go player base to play this new game. Imagine the value of the interactions this game could offer.

A game such as this could change the attitude of societies world wide and promote giving and kindness in a society that seems to be oblivious to the people in need.

In the end people would realize that the true reward is not the points that they earn in the game, but the pleasure of helping a person in need.

You have the means and the technology to make this a reality.
Kind regards
Derek Robertson

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