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The Game of Books

I’m going to do things a little differently this Friday. Instead of listing 3 of my favorite things for the week I’m going to list just one, and it’s not really a favorite thing it’s a favorite idea. The Game of Books was brought to my attention by Patrick Rothfuss, as much as I’d love to say we’re close personal friends we are not but I stalk err…follow him on Facebook. Anyway he posted a link to a Kickstarter for this thing called The Game of Books. Instead of trying to explain it in my words I’m going to use the description posted on the Kickstarter and also include a link in case you want to know more or just want to give these people money for an awesome idea.

What is The Game of Books?

Imagine a game where you – the reader – are the main character, and every book you read earns you points and rewards. The Game of Books is a game for adventurous readers where the books you read earn you points based on what they are about.

The Game of Books combines the physical world of books with the digital and imaginary. It is a website and mobile app that helps you keep track of your subtle reading habits over time. It combines “Foursquare for books” and Xbox Live-style gamer achievements, earning you badges and points for the rare themes you encounter in books.

At its heart, The Game of Books allows those of us that love reading to earn something extra for what we already love, to become the master of themes that we visit more than others, to discover books we’d otherwise miss, and to track how we have grown as readers over time.

Reading more of the description on Kickstarter it sounds like it’s aimed more toward younger readers, with the main focus of their pursuit for funds being focused on parents and people looking to donate to libraries; but as someone without kids but with a healthy love of games this sounds like a really cool idea. There are only a couple of days left on their campaign, hopefully they’ve reached their goal by the time I post this. If not, if you know someone you aren’t too fond of but still need to give a little something to this Christmas consider telling them you made a donation in their name.