Over the past semester, online geography games have been on the rise. Worldle, Geoguessr and Seterra are some of the most popular games. In Geoguessr, there are three rounds that are a minute and a half each, and the objective is to guess where the location shown is.
Students say they are especially drawn to Geoguessr because it is fun to play with friends. Senior Tobias Schwab appreciates the social and competitive aspects of Geoguessr.
“My friends were playing together and I liked that it facilitated some quality banter,” said Schwab. “I’m nowhere near as good as many of my friends; even a little bit of studying can go a long way if you are trying to be competitive.”
Geoguessr also expands students’ global knowledge. Senior Katelyn Simpson enjoys playing it and says that geography games in general are comparably more beneficial than other video games.
“They’re so much more educational than other video games. They’re still fun while also requiring you to use your brain,” said Simpson.
On top of the educational benefits, these games have broadened horizons and expanded students’ cultural awareness. Senior Ben Henry de Tessan says Geoguessr has led him to learn more about distinctive geographical features.
“[It’s] definitely increased my worldly knowledge, especially with distinguishing different language or cultural factors in order to deduce the best guess,” said Henry de Tessan.
Additionally, this game has exposed students to places and cultures that they otherwise might completely ignore. Henry de Tessan says Geoguessr has led him to discover new places, especially ones he may have never heard of otherwise from the media.
“[It] allows us to get a perspective on parts of the world we rarely see and might never get to see in person in our lifetime,” said Henry de Tessan.
Schwab agrees and says that Geoguessr gives you the ability to pinpoint any country and name it.
“It’s a fun way to work on your geographical awareness. If you asked random students where Eswatini and Lesotho are, most would struggle, [but] I bet a student who plays Geoguessr would know,” said Schwab.
In addition, Simpson thinks that Geoguessr helps erase geographical and cultural biases. Exposure to countries with a sole narrative, often associated with violence and corruption, allows students to not view them as only that.
“I think it humanizes so many places that are not always positively talked about. This leaves room for new conversations about those countries to be had,” said Simpson.