Play it Forward with Akoha

Imagine real life good deeds combined with a social gaming engine that spreads slowly but surely in a viral nature. That is what Akoha is bringing to the table. The proper definition is as follows:

Inspired by elements of social entrepreneurship, massively multiplayer and reality-based games, Akoha users carry out missions that involve performing small acts of kindness for others. These activities are described on “mission cards”, and as players perform more missions, they advance in the game, recruit new players, and spread good deeds across the world.

The Montreal-based company was founded in 2007 by long-time friends and entrepreneurs Austin Hill and Alex Eberts, who believe games and online communities could make a positive impact on people around the world. Their tagline is “Meaningful Play”.

This is actually a very cool and unique concept. Upon signing up for the service, I was immediately given three “missions” to accomplish – Give Someone a Surprise Gift, Invite Someone for Coffee, and Thank Someone. Complete each mission and you get 125 Karma Points and keep proceeding up to the next level. When you complete a mission, you must report back in to your Akoha home page with the person’s email address (or Akoha username), a description of what you did and some type of visual evidence (photo, video, etc). This will give you the maximum amount of points for the mission. The email portion is how you play it forward which will then invite your friend to join Akoha and begin to play it forward. For the year 2010, one of the recurring themes for Akoha is BioDiversity. Some of the missions you will receive in relation to this topic is:  Buy organic food from a local Farmer’s Market, Take Public Transportation for a week and Replace a light bulb with a compact fluorescent. This game has caught fire internationally with people playing this game from Greece to South Africa to Sweden and 65 total countries.

For many people who are interested in working in their community but need a little push, this game is an ideal solution. Other people who are into social games or video games but also have a desire to try to do more for their neighborhood and friends, Akoha is ideal for them as well. This is a very unique idea and platform and if the slow and steady growth continues, I can see Akoha gaining popularity. The site is still in beta and you can sign up right away and being your missions. Follow me at http://akoha.com/people/ahr19/ and let’s play it forward together.

About the Author
I am a developing social and digital media junkie on an adventure through life. Right now I am on the chapter in the book where I live in Los Angeles. Reach me on twitter @ahr19. Thanks for reading my post.
See all posts by Amani.