Climbers have been making up different ways to use their local climbing wall since the the first holds were glued to concrete.
But Jon Cheng, a member at Brooklyn Boulders near Boston took climbing games to the next level by bringing his coding hobby and a lap top into the climbing gym during a recent community night. The result was a game “That made people think about climbing and wall usage in new ways,” wrote Cheng the creator of the game on his company blog Randori.
“To make it more accessible, I needed to make sure that the movements players would use were varied enough that climbers of all sizes and skill levels could play. I also needed to be able to mold the game mechanics to the holds that were already on the wall. Last, I wanted an arcade style high score board so that the people who wanted to compete could try to battle for the top score.”
The “Randori” game is played by using any holds on the wall with the goal of touching the white dots in order as fast as possible. Instead of a specific route that players were required to use, they can explore whichever holds work best for their body type. The fastest time wins.
The response from the climbers and the gym was very positive. “The gym liked it so much, they asked if I could run the game for other events they had planned,” Cheng wrote.
Climbing Business Journal is an independent news outlet dedicated to covering the indoor climbing industry. Here you will find the latest coverage of climbing industry news, gym developments, industry best practices, risk management, climbing competitions, youth coaching and routesetting. Have an article idea? CBJ loves to hear from readers like you!
