You’ll Want To Try This: Turf Game

Calling all outdoors lovers, early adopters, and anyone who enjoys a healthy dose of fun and competition. You’ll want to try this.

Two years ago, at the suggestion of my brother- and sister-in-law, I joined Turf. My in-laws live in Stockholm, where the Turf app is extremely popular. There are thousands of users getting outdoors and playing this game every day in Sweden and the neighboring countries. While we were in Stockholm, I started playing as a way to see the city.

For the past two years I’ve only been able to play the game locally (in SF) against Swedish Turfers who happen to be visiting San Francisco. As of this week, however, the Turf Crew has made magic happen and the Turf app is available in the US App Store (thank you Turf Crew! You rock!) at www.turfgame.com 

So far, I’ve convinced my husband and a few game coworkers (pun intended) to give it a try... and the past two days have been SO. MUCH. FUN. I’ve always been an outdoors person; I love trail running, hiking, even walking in my neighborhood for fresh air, exercise, and the time to myself or with friends. But Turf has encouraged me (I’d even say incentivized me) to take quick 5-10 minute breaks to “take a zone” and come back to work refreshed and delighted. (Sidenote: I never use the term “delighted.” But this is just that – delightful.)

Ok- so what does this even mean- to “take a zone?“ A zone is a small area, perhaps 25‘ x 25‘, and when you step into that location you are “taking a zone.” By taking a zone, you “own” that zone (albeit temporarily) and are allocated points accordingly. If you take a “neutral” zone— one that has not been taken by any other “Turfer” yet— you’ll receive a 50 point “neutral bonus.” In addition, some zones allocate a point per hour gain, for as long as you hold the zone. And that’s where the fun comes in – people can steal your zones. Other Turfers are also competing with you for points, number of zones, and medals. Medals can be earned for all sorts of different reasons, like taking a bridge or aquatic zone, or holding onto a number of zones at the same time.

As with anything new, it’s easier to understand through experience than through someone’s description.* But when asked why I play Turf, I share that I’ve been logging at least 5,000 extra steps per day all week (now that I have some local competition in this game!). It’s also just plain fun, competitive in the right way, and incentive to be healthier. Some people ask if it’s like Pokémon Go. Maybe...ish? While I’m not personally interested in catching an imaginary animal, I’m obsessed and delighted (!!!) to take zones. There’s a reason it’s called Turf: Outdoor Addiction. So download the Turf app and give it a try. See you out there, Future Turfers! Lycka till!**

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*I’ll continue to post some information in the next week on how to Turf, including a rudimentary tutorial, and more on all those fun little symbols on the bottom right of your turf app.

* *Good luck! (In Swedish)

Turf in Sweden: yellow dots are neutral zones, red dots are zones taken by a Turfer. Over the course of a round, turfers try to gain as many points and zones as possible. When a round ends, winners are announced and points/zones are reset for the next round. 

The Bay Area has quite a few zones. The green person is “me” and green dots are the zones I’ve taken. Red dots are other Turfers who have taken zones.

It takes approximately 30 seconds to take a zone (so you have to be standing still in that area). After taking a zone, the area is blocked to other Turfers for a short while. The longer you play, the greater your “blockage time” and the lesser your “takeover time.”