Everybody loves a bargain. Shopping for deals is fun in and of itself and, if you look hard enough, you can usually scout out the item you’re after for less than the MSRP. But what if, instead of coupon clipping and online searching, you could play and compete to win items? GameIt is a new social/trivia app that enables just that.
GameIt is simple — Swipe through its grid of product listings and play to win the items you like the look of by answering trivia questions. You’ll see items from a number of categories and the available items change frequently. The first item I decided to play for was a set of Bluelounge CableDrop cable clips because, as you might expect, I have a lot of cables on my desk. Each item has a trivia category assigned to it ('TV Assorted’ in this case) and when you hit 'Play to Win’ you’ll be presented with 10 quick-fire quiz questions.
The aim of the game is to answer as many questions correctly in the shortest time possible. You’ll be awarded between 0.01 and 99.99 points for each correctly answered Q (the quicker you are, the more points you gain) and the entrant with the highest score will win the item once that particular competition closes.
Entering a contest costs a variable amount of in-game currency. You’re given 250 of these coins when you sign up for GameIt and can play sponsored quizzes or invite friends to earn more, or buy some via an in-app purchase ($1.99 and up).
Unfortunately, I didn’t win anything, but I was close every time making the game extremely addictive. If you really want a particular item or are knowledgeable on a particular topic, you can replay the same quiz multiple times (with questions differing) giving GameIt great replayability.
Trivia topics varied greatly — I competed in TV, World War II, The Hunger Games and 2013 History — so there should be something you feel you can try your hand at.
There are some great products on GameIt — from bike lights, keychains and yoga socks to Giorgio Armani fragrances, NOOK eReaders and cookbooks — with products changing each day and week. However, the number of items was disappointing. Despite there being good variety, there were only 10-15 competitions open at any time during my testing.
I also felt the UI was in need of an update. Although usable, it’s a little dated. This was even more apparent on the iPad where the app was essentially a blown up version of the iPhone app. Fortunately, GameIt’s developers have confirmed to me that a redesign is very much in the works.
Lastly, GameIt is US only at present and does not, therefore, allow competition entrants from other countries despite the app being available elsewhere.
The Wrap-up
The Good: Fun, challenging and addictive way to shop. Some great items on offer with a variety of product categories and trivia topics. Easy to get free coins by partaking in sponsored contests.
The Bad: UI needs an overhaul. US only. Product numbers are low.
The Verdict: Gamifying the shopping process makes for an interesting experience. The trivia is challenging enough to keep you interested even if the number of products might not be — hopefully GameIt will continue to find more great products to put up for grabs!
GameIt is available for free for iPhone and iPad from the App Store. The app isn’t available in Google Play but Android users can head to gameit.us to download a compatible version.