There was a time when we’d just jump in the car with no plan and see where we ended up. Nowadays, our search engine most likely knows where we are headed before we type it in, while recommendations also come from the likes of online lists and social media feeds.
In short, we’ve outsourced exploration.
Now, don’t get me wrong, as a travel blogger and photographer, I use all online tools. They’re awesome. But there are times that I don’t want to go the most popular place, the crowded beaches, or take the same photos as appear in everyone else’s Instagram feed.
I want to find the place that no one else has discovered, that didn’t show up in any search query, or that no one has awarded five stars. I want to find the place the locals jealously guard. I want to find that quirky spot in my neighbourhood that I never knew existed. I want to race down that empty beach and swing out on the rope-swing someone built with no regard to health and safety many summers ago.
I want to get lost.
Turns out, there were many people out there who felt just the same as us, so in 2018 we created a game that does just that: gets you lost.
It’s called the Getting Lost Game and it’s an antidote to the curated digital life we find ourselves living. It’s purposefully offline and designed to take you on random adventures every time you play. The game has 26 misdirection cards and comes in a custom made suitcase, made in New Zealand from plant-based, biodegradable plastic.
There are two different types of directions in your game. There are the standard directions, things like turn left, or head north; and then there are the completely random game-changers such as ‘follow a white car’ or ‘head in the direction the wind is blowing’, so if you don’t shuffle your cards you will always end up in a different place. Plus, we’ve thrown in a few cards like ‘stop for a drink’ to give you cues to stop and explore.
An average Getting Lost game takes four hours to play, so perfect for those Sunday afternoons where you want to get out and about and explore and find something new.
