A computer programmer and prolific game designer has created an Indiana Jones-style adventure that you can be a part of.
Jason Rohrer, whose games include 2007’s Passage and the crowdfunded Diamond Trust of London, wants budding explorers to enter the wilderness and attempt to recover a 24k gold bounty.
The name of this real-life challenge is Project Skydrop and it’s taking place across the East Coast of the United States.
What is Project Skydrop?
According to PR Newswire, Project Skydrop is a ‘unique, real-world treasure hunt unlike any other in modern day history’.
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Co-collaborators Rohrer and Tom Bailey want you to embark on an IRL treasure hunt.
To prompt you to get outside and start exploring, the pair have hidden a 24k gold item worth around $25,000 inside a circle that starts out 500 miles in diameter.
Over the three week challenge period, the circle will decrease in size to make the trial easier yet more competitive.
According to Rohrer, Project Skydrop has been crafted for those who enjoy watching other people have adventures in movies.
“Project Skydrop brings all these elements together to make a real-world experience unlike anything that's ever occurred before. We're hoping to make the greatest treasure hunt of all time,” he added.
Collaborator Tom Bailey meanwhile described the project as a ‘real-world Indiana Jones treasure hunt’.
A subscription service to increase your chances
If you want a chance at finding the gold before your competitor then Rohrer and Bailey have implemented a $20 subscription scheme.
All those who cough up the dough will receive daily emails containing ‘secret aerial photographs’ of the treasure’s location.
As people sign up, half of the entry fee is set to be pooled into an ‘enormous cash prize for the winner’, which will be delivered to the winner via a Bitcoin wallet.
What does the winner get?
The winner of the scavenger hunt gets to keep the prize, which contains 10 troy ounces of 99.99% pure gold, currently valued at over $25,000, as per the Project Skydrop website.
They will also receive the prize bounty, which will increase as more people sign up.
To enter the challenge, you can sign up via the Project Skydrop website.
What do experts have to say about the gold?
Renee Habashy, an appraiser at Hannoush Jewelers, claimed she was ‘intrigued’ when she first saw the solid gold treasure.
“I could have asked a million more questions of Jason about his treasure and the hunt he'd devised.
"I immediately signed up to participate, knowing I will not likely be someone doing the hunting, but happy to be a spectator and participant. We don't see enough ideas that are truly original, but that's what this treasure hunt is.”