Coffee Talk #353: Game and Movie Check-Ins

Check-in services are hot right now — I’m talking Hansel hot. One recent trend in the check-in space is allowing people to check into the media they’re enjoying. More than one-million people use…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, the Yankees sucking, the return of sucky AJ Burnett, or Arnold Schwarzenegger’s bastards, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

As some of you know, I enjoy foursquare, the check-in service that lets you keep tabs on your friends and discover new places. Check-in services are hot right now — I’m talking Hansel hot. One recent trend in the check-in space is allowing people to check into the media they’re enjoying. More than one-million people use GetGlue to check into the movies and television shows they enjoy. The recently launched IGN Dominate allows people to check into their games. Would you use any of these services?

For some people, all of this is nonsense — just new ways and new toys to waste time. Some people get checking into physical locations; foursquare is a great way to discover new restaurants, spas, coffeehouses, etc. Checking into media seems strange to some, but totally cool to others. You can discover new games, TV shows, and movies to enjoy, similar to how you can discover new physical venues with foursquare.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on all these services. Would you use them? Do you find them useful? Do you think they’re weird? Or is this all just a technologically advanced way to waste time?

Author: RPadTV

https://rpad.tv

62 thoughts on “Coffee Talk #353: Game and Movie Check-Ins”

  1. I can see why people would like this kind of thing but it aint for me. I like posting things on fb to make people laugh but this check in thing is like letting people know that your not home and I'm from the ghetto and have nice things lol. Someone tried to break in while we were home so for me to broadcast that I'm not home is a no go for me.

    1. Well, you can always change your settings so that only your friends can see your check-in status. That way if you're robbed, you know that it was probably one of your friends. :P

  2. I'm with Mr. Blak on this. If you want to know where I am, call me and I might tell you. A great deal of the places I go are kind of embarrassing.

    If I have a place to recommend, I will let people know through good old fashioned word of mouth.

      2. Especially if you were playing Leisure Suit Larry *haha*

        I don't know anyone who would want to broadcast that.

      3. 1) It already does to all my friends on either Live or PSN if I'm consuming media on either of those devices.

        2) No… especially the movies I watch. Nobody needs to know when I'm watching internet pr0n… especially not my mom and wife.

        3) I really don't understand why people would want to make these things redundant in conversations. For example:

        Statement: "I ate at this awesome Thai place the other day."

        Response: "I know, I saw it on Foursquare."

        Statement: "I was at the club last night and the girls were crazy hot."

        Response: "I know, I saw it on Foursquare and you tweeted the whole story about the Lesbians."

        Statement: "Dude, there's this foreign film called 13 Assassins that is totally off the hook."

        Response: "I know, I saw it on Foursquare."

        Where is all of this going? Sooner or later, nobody will ever have to talk to anybody and the key points of our personalities and culture are now all online for the world to see. As a people person, this thought rather disgusts me.

      4. @N8

        A few things…

        1) I bet your wife knows when you watch the pr0n! haha

        2) A story about hot lesbians can never be told too many times!

      5. 1) Yes and no. She doesn't know exactly when it's going on, but she knows when it happened due to the clean up involved.

        2) True… but it still makes it redundant in the real conversation which was my point.

        On the positive side, I do see how this could be a tool for ADD people.

      7. 1) Nasty.

        2) Redundant story about lesbians = good; especially if you use your phone camera to take videos.

        You know, come to think of it, filming hot lesbians making out in a nightclub should be the new benchmark for testing videos on new phones you review, Mr. Padilla.

        -M

      9. On the flip side, it would be funny (in N8's case) if we checked in on someone and via geo tags read:

        6:05 p.m.- N8 is at AMC Theaters watching Yogi Bear.

        8:30 p.m.- N8 is at TGI Fridays enjoying a meal with his family.

        9:45 p.m.- N8 is at home playing on his Xbox.

        12:50 a.m.- N8 is at Club Pink Pussycat playing with Bubbles.

        1:20 a.m.- N8 is in the Champaign Room having a cocktail Candy.

        3:10 a.m.- N8 is at 2nd Precinct Downtown Police Station getting his picture taken.

        4:25 a.m.- Mrs. N8 is at Surly Roy's Bail Bonds and Pawn shop.

        -M

      14. The things you can do with a little bit of money in a third-world country pale in comparison to the fun you can have in America. My friend retired early and have been living a ridiculous life for the last seven years.

      15. Agreed, I know some people who love living in Vietnam. They can live there comfortably for about $50 american per month. It is amazing how much things can cost in comparison in America.

  3. I think this type of thing is cool, and to me it makes perfect sense. Checking 'in' to a virtual space does seem like a logical next step, and this is coming after games (I think one of the uncharted games did this?? don't remember exactly) that would post info to your twitter account based on your in game actions. It's a cool idea, but I don't know that it's something I would really use. If all games posted in game actions to twitter, I might use that sometimes if they actually said something cool, but even then I don't think most people would actually care about me doing that—so why do it? And I don't feel like signing up for a service that would give in game updates. I liked four-square before, but it just got old for me, and I think this service would be the same.

  4. No. I'd like to not broadcast where I'm during the day. I reactivated my FB page today though. Might as well.

    @Ray

    Admit it…you laughed at the chance to channel your inner Tyrion writing the intro.

    1. @Ray

      I use my bluetooth keyboard for my iPad whenever I need to do a lot of typing. Works better if I need to move the cursor for a correction or something. I also prefer using my iPad in landscape no matter what.

  6. Far too many of my friends check in from Wal-Mart and McDonalds to actually discover anyplace new.

      7. I think he actually spoke about it with N8R on the comments section. I'm actually going to do an interview with him this weekend to help out his book. Maybe I'll work it in during the video.

  9. You can check me off under the column of “people who think this is nonsense.”

    -M

  10. as n8 pointed out the xbox dashboard and the ps3 xmb already tell ur friends what ur playing, why do u need a check in app for it? especially when you can just ask them right then and there when u see them online why they're playing that game.

    I use 4sq because sometimes you can get some discounts offered by the retaurants, bars or businesses that youre around. Like last month i used it to check into the mall and i saw that Express had a -15% discount if you showed them that you checked in, so i did and save myself $17 bucks. I don't share all of my check in's but when i do it's linked to my twitter and if i share it; it pretty much means if you want to hang out i'll be there or if i'm going to a movie and you want to know how it was before you see it, just ask me afterwards or later on.

  11. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2 Fwww.amazon.com%2Fgp%2Fgoldbox%3Fie%3DUTF8%26ref_%3Dcs_top_nav_gb27%23&tag=rt0b3-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957″ target=”_blank”>Amazon Gold Box<img src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=rt0b3-20&l=ur2&o=1&quot; width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" /> has videogame deals all day. Crysis 2 is the all-day deal. Looks like Final Fantasy IV Complete Collection will hit at 10AM.

  12. so i dont mean to jinx it but i think i just got offered a job at the post office as a mail carrier but i may be reaching, so if anyone can help clear this up. I got sent a w-4 form for both federal and state taxes, an I-9 form for Homeland Security purposes and other USPS applications. what are the odds that i pretty much got this job and i will be hired unless i blow the interview and fail the drug test. thank you all very much for your help!

    1. @tokz

      W-4 is encouraging. The rest sounds like SOP. However that is encouraging still. The Post Office has traditionally moved slow when hiring. Goodluck!

    3. Yep sounds like you are in. The I9 has to be done before they can consider hiring these days. But the W-4 isn't required. I hope it all works out for you.

    5. My mother-in-law is a mail carrier. I may not talk to her today though. I'll pick her brain and see what's up.

  13. Thanks for the well wishes everybody. I probably wont be able to post as much if i do get this but i think this will be the perfect for me.

      2. From the sounds of it… kind of.

        It's problem solving, match making, and memory stuff. It sounds like someone who's on drugs would have a hell of a time with it.

        She also said there was a 4th part that was all about taking directions.

        She then said that she had heard the test they give now is more simple than the one she took eleven years ago.

        @ tokz

        You cannot get fired from the post office. After the whole disgruntled postal worker fiasco, the USPS passed a policy that basically says postal workers can't be fired. They can be demoted and all that other stuff, but they will keep their pensions and won't be terminated.

        That's job security.

      3. @n8

        Thanks a lot for the research. I thought u had to take the written test first but i guess times have changed. I hope i get it. Id hate to fill out all these forms only not to get.

      4. @n8

        Thanks a lot for the research. I thought u had to take the written test first but i guess times have changed. I hope i get it. Id hate to fill out all these forms only not to get it.

      5. What did you expect? You're applying to work for Uncle Sam. The bureaucracy is bound to be fierce.

      6. @n8

        True but i dont evdr remeber filling out this many forms before i joined the army. They took one day out of basic training for us to fill out paperwork.

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