ClueKeeper

{{Short description|GPS location-aware software platform}}

{{Infobox sport

| name = ClueKeeper

| image = ClueKeeper Logo.png

| imagesize =

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| team = 1+

| mgender = Yes

| category = Outdoor

| equipment = GPS receiver, Tablet or Smart phone

| venue = Earth

| obsolete =

| olympic = No

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ClueKeeper is a GPS location-aware software platform created by a group of puzzle lovers{{cite web|url=https://www.cluekeeper.com/about|title=About - ClueKeeper|work=www.ClueKeeper.com|publisher=ClueKeeper|accessdate=19 December 2017}} and initially released in 2013.{{cite web|url=https://www.zappar.com/blog/clue-keeper-ar-powered-group-gaming-is-awesome/|title=ClueKeeper: AR-powered group gaming is awesome!|publisher=Zappar|accessdate=19 December 2017}} It is an iOS and Android based app for building and playing puzzle hunts. It incorporates features of a puzzle hunt, an escape room, and augmented reality.

Creators can develop self-enclosed story files (called "hunts") that are read by the ClueKeeper app, which is installed on a GPS-enabled smartphone. The player and story take advantage of the location information provided by the GPS to trigger in-game events, such as using a virtual object, unlocking a puzzle, or interacting with characters. Completing a hunt can require going to different locations and solving puzzles. A typical ClueKeeper adventure is the Sunset Bar Crawl, created by San Francisco-based puzzle hunt company Shinteki, in which players are guided to several local pubs where they find clues and answer trivia questions.{{cite news|url=https://hoodline.com/2015/11/puzzle-hunt-through-local-pubs-with-sunset-entrepreneur-s-new-app|title=Puzzle Hunt Through Local Pubs With Sunset Entrepreneur's New App|last=Harrington|first=Caitlin|date=November 17, 2015|work=Hoodline|accessdate=14 July 2020}}

Hunts can be either hosted or self-guided. The former are organized events in which teams compete at the same time. The latter are played individually or as a team, not at a set time but whenever they want to do the hunt.{{cite web|url=https://www.cluekeeper.com/creators|title=Creators|work=www.ClueKeeper.com|publisher=ClueKeeper|accessdate=19 December 2017}} Some are designed by escape room companies to supplement their room-based games with outdoor, walking puzzle hunts in cities like Seattle, San Francisco, and Jersey City.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing rules and business lockdowns forced many escape rooms to close their doors temporarily. Some of them turned to ClueKeeper as a way to allow people to play puzzle-and-escape games without actually going inside an escape room. Some rooms held hosted games, where teams compete for prizes without coming into contact with each other.{{cite news|url=https://www.kwtx.com/2020/06/30/waco-escape-rooms-hosts-a-city-wide-escape-challenge/|title=Waco Escape Rooms hosts a 'City Wide Escape Challenge'|last=Ogletree|first=Royden|date=June 29, 2020|work=KWTX-TV|accessdate=13 July 2020}} Others developed play-anytime games in which the players download a ClueKeeper app whose clues and puzzles lead the players to various locations.{{cite news|url=https://kobi5.com/news/escape-ashland-offers-outdoor-puzzle-hunt-safe-social-distancing-128322/|title=Escape Ashland offers outdoor puzzle hunt, safe social distancing|last=Furuichi|first=Miles|date=May 11, 2020|work=KOBI-5|accessdate=13 July 2020}} In some cases, puzzle developers were asked by city park and recreation departments or visitors bureaus to create ClueKeeper apps featuring local landmarks or facilities for the entertainment of locals and tourists.{{cite news|url=https://www.wtvy.com/content/news/Escape-Enterprise-offering-new-experience-to-social-distance-571326661.html|title=Escape Enterprise offering new experience to social distance|last=Brooks|first=Nick|date=June 17, 2020|work=WTVY|accessdate=13 July 2020}}

ClueKeeper is used to run the annual international puzzle hunt for [http://playdash.org/ D.A.S.H],{{cite web|url=https://roomescapeartist.com/2017/09/18/cluekeeper-puzzle-hunt-app-review/|title=ClueKeeper, that puzzle hunt app [Review]|publisher=Room Escape Artist|last=Spira|first=David|date=September 18, 2017|accessdate=22 December 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://exitgames.co.uk/blog/2014/05/07/cluekeeper/|title=ClueKeeper|work=Exit Games: ClueKeeper|publisher=Exit Games |accessdate=22 December 2017}} as well as hunts by companies such as [https://www.ravenchase.com/ Ravenchase], [http://shinteki.com/ Shinteki] and many others.{{cite web|url=http://www.puzzledpint.com/files/4914/4208/1398/PP-2015-Sept-Doctor-Who.pdf|title=Puzzled Pint: Doctor Who|work=Puzzled Pint, September 2015|publisher=Puzzled Pint|accessdate=22 December 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://palace-games.com/|title=Palace Games - Scavenger Hunt|work=Palace Games Escape Rooms|publisher=Palace Games|accessdate=22 December 2017}}{{cite web|url=https://houdini-escape.com/faq/|title=Houdini Escape FAQ|publisher=Houdini Escape|accessdate=22 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223102139/https://houdini-escape.com/faq/|archive-date=23 December 2017|url-status=dead}}