I’ve been test-driving both Foursquare and Gowalla from a game perspective for a few weeks now. Both are location based services that allow you to virtually ‘check in’ at locations. To cut to the chase: I prefer Gowalla. It’s more akin to a game (for lack of a better word) than Foursquare currently is, but it’s not exactly saying much. Both services seem to lack clout at the moment.
First there’s Foursquare. The idea behind the service is chiefly to track check-ins at various locations. Checking in the most at a spot earns you the title of mayor. Secondly, there’s Gowalla. The idea behind this service is still to check in at various locations and, sure enough, it also tracks whoever checks in the most at a spot. But instead of earning titles, you earn virtual items.