Earning points in game of life

NEW YORK -- In the world of foursquare, life can be a lot like a video game: earning points and badges for places you visit and engaging in a nonphysical sort of "King of the Mountain" competition to be "mayor," or the most frequent visitor to a particular location. Dennis Crowley, co-founder of foursquare, an online hyperlocal social service that mixes users' current "check-in" locations and tips with gaming aspects, described the service as "a lot like Twitter but with location." And while that concept has been carried by a couple of other online sites, what makes foursquare different is that "we're trying to turn life into a game," Crowley said during a Wednesday presentation at the Real Estate Connect conference in New York. Referencing a Nike mobile device that helps users track their running performance and a photo of a badge-covered Eagle Scout, Crowley said foursquare can actually inspire some users to change the...