Players search for dash coins in Pokémon Go-style AR treasure hunt

Digital currency Dash has teamed up with a blockchain-based game maker to create a Pokémon Go-style augmented reality (AR) cryptocurrency treasure hunt.

News users who download the Aircoins AR game app will create a random drop of cryptocurrency coins, including dash (DASH), around them which can be “picked up” by moving over them. The Aircoin app can transfer digital coins collected between users as well as to and from users’ digital wallets.

“Aircoins layers geolocation, gaming, and augmented reality to make rewards and using Dash fun and convenient while providing an interactive experience,” said Aircoins CEO Emal Safi, in a statement. “These innovations in technology create new payment and advertising opportunities as we drive foot traffic to retailers and merchants.”

The game will be available in 10 large cities worldwide. It is currently live in New York, Bangkok, Amsterdam, and Medellin, Colombia. New cities will be announced on the two companies’ Twitter accounts, @Dashpay and @Aircoins_App.

“As interest and adoption around AR and cryptocurrency continues to increase, merging the two through a fun game is an exciting step for both technologies,” said Ernesto Contreras, business development manager for Latin America of Dash Core Group. “This partnership will allow Dash to reach new markets by allowing users to collect coins as they move around cities, and because they can now use that currency, this will open up a new engagement model and user experience. AR is poised for exceptional growth and together Dash and Aircoins are primed to engage users along that journey.”

Dash is a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO) and the 14th largest cryptocurrency, with a market cap of $1.3 billion, according to CoinMarketCap. The two companies are working on adding an in-app exchange feature in Aircoins, allowing players to convert other coins collected into dash.

Aircoins’ plan is to work with businesses to offer similar drops of AR digital coins as a means of marketing and attracting customers. Partners can drop cryptocurrencies anywhere around the globe. The company plans to add in-app purchases as well as the ability to drop advertising onto the VR coins. Aircoins said it supports all cryptocurrencies and blockchain platforms.

Dash is a perfect use case for Aircoins, Safi said, because it is aimed at being used as a real-world currency by retailers. As of the end of 2018, Dash was accepted by 4,800 merchants and services worldwide ranging from pizzerias in Medellin to online retailer Overstock.

It’s important for users to remember the valuable lessons of Pokémon Go, beginning with looking where you are going while playing the game—walking into people while pursuing a Gengar or Aerodactyl is bad. But not as bad as chasing digital collectables into the middle of an anti-Putin rally in Moscow, which got 18 Pokémon Go players arrested in 2017.