Attention fans: reality just got a little closer to the 1970s arcade game thanks to FlashInvaders - an app invented by Invader, the anonymous creator of street art inspired by the characters of old games.
Earlier this year, the Frenchman "re-invaded" Hong Kong, adding more than 40 Pac-Mans, Space Invaders and aliens to the 34 murals he had gifted to the city's walls since 2001. The app is a treasure hunt for these creations.
Using FlashInvaders is simple: when you find a mosaic, turn on your GPS and snap a picture. The app will verify your "flash" using its database. If confirmed as genuine, your picture will appear on a scoreboard and you'll get points.
The fun doesn't have to stop in Hong Kong. There are more than 2,000 players vying to discover about 3,000 Invader murals in 60 cities, including Tokyo and Osaka, in Japan; Bangkok, in Thailand; and Dhaka, in Bangladesh. Invader hasn't yet made it into the mainland but that could change.
"When I invade a new city it's like adding a new level to the game," he says.
The art is not without controversy. Last year, Invader was arrested in New York after planting a mural in the East Village. And earlier this year more than 50 of his works were removed by the Hong Kong government.
