Pay it, er, Play it forward

by Michelle Lentz

Take social networking, add in a pinch of reality, a pinch of a game, and a whole lot of kindness and you get Akoha. Akoha is an online social networking game where you earn points by doing nice things for others in the real world.

The first step is to acquire Akoha cards through the Akoha store (or from someone doing something nice). Each card  has a bar code / number and gives you a small mission, such as Invite a Friend for Coffee, Send Drinks to a Couple in Love, or Donate an Hour of Your Time. When you complete the mission, hand off the card to someone else, who is then part of the game.

The bar code / number on the card can be traced on the Akoha web site, showing you every where that card has been. Of course, you acquire karma points for your not-so-random acts of kindness. What do the points get you? Well, not a lot just yet, but Akoha (in beta) has some big plans for their 2009 launch:

Although playing creates its own rewards, we also have lots of plans for how points and our upcoming virtual currency can be combined with prizes, partners, sponsors and special event-based tournaments, to make playing Akoha rewarding on many levels.

I wish we didn’t need a game to do random nice things for other people, but I love that this game exists to remind us. I signed up for the beta – I can’t wait to start playing it forward.

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Contact Michelle with your news, apps, and events via email, Twitter, Pownce, or FriendFeed. Visit Michelle at Wine-Girl.net and Write Technology.