The surprising lessons of the "GeoGuessr" world championship

[@ItsJCrew]

Very respectful journalism on a pretty niche internet subculture. Glad geoguessr is getting some recognition!

[@basapon7074]

Niche? Geoguessr has been played by 70 million people, attracts about 300k players a day. It's nowhere near "niche".

[@fullriptide]

@@basapon7074 Walk outside and ask a stranger if they've heard of Geoguessr. Then ask if they've heard of Call of Duty. Or League of Legends. Or Fortnite. Repeat until you realize you're wrong

[@Marlo_Branco]

@@basapon7074 Really ? its great

[@SolvedNC]

Some people have never heard of football ​@@fullriptide, does that make it a niche sport ?

[@abyssmage6979]

​@@fullriptidebruh go easy on him. He doesn't go outside or even talk to people 😢

[@lllIIIlIllIIll]

I love how she felt it necessary to emphasize that Rainbolt is his actual legal name. By far the coolest surname I've ever heard of.

[@litapd311]

i didn't know that was his real name until this video lol

[@mastershooter64]

it's like Usain Bolt

[@piet711]

His real name is Trevor, not rainbolt. Don't know why they got that wrong.

[@mg1721]

​@@piet711 Rainbolt is his surname, Trevor Rainbolt is his full name.

[@heat_death7]

@@piet711his last name is literally rainbolt xdd

[@TF_Tony]

Really love how respectful this whole segment is. They could easily have gone down the 90s "nerd" route of laughing at niche interests, but no, the reporter actually took the time to engage this topic in good faith.

[@Zaphod_]

I think it comes down to GeoGuessr being very easy to understand for people that have never heard of or played it, thus making it very easy to realize how impressive it is what the pros do there compared to other E-Sports

[@sirclark4405]

there are real problems in the world Tony

[@rogercruz1547]

The contrast of how traditional media sees geoguessr vs how they see tetris is enormous

[@francescoalexgiacalone878]

@@sirclark4405and we should all stop with all out passions and everything we’re doing to tackle them at once!

[@Redwan777]

​@@sirclark4405Geoguessers found base of a not-so-good people and reported it to Russian gov. So geoguess do solve real world problems Timmy

[@HarryKD202]

Didn’t think I see Geo Guesser featured on tv today

[@FastGuy1]

Neither did I lol!! Glad to see it getting recognition

[@reznovvazileski3193]

They held their world cup in Stockholm City Hall where usually only stuff like Nobel prize events are hosted so yea they definitely made it. It's just enough real world mixed in the gaming that normal people can understand it :p

[@wtfdany]

Ludwig's snowball

[@slink66]

You would ?

[@alfiewright1396]

And they actually seemed to understand it pretty well! It was a great representation of the game. And a well-explained introduction for beginners.

[@Asdayasman]

Very balanced and fair reporting on something niche and nerdy. A breath of fresh air from legacy media. Thank you.

[@banninghamma]

@@Asdayasman Even a commendation, you manage to make news media sound like a bad thing 😅

[@adrammelech6323]

it's refreshing to see news program not trying to make fun of and belittle gamers

[@erifetim]

I feel like these type of morning shows often present slice-of-life topics in a very supportive and positive way

[@Asdayasman]

@@banninghamma Because it is.

[@ArquivosHinter]

@@banninghamma mainstream media is terrible

[@lilacrimosa]

Everyone's talking about how respectful this journalism is (because that sure is rare when reporting on video games) but I want to point out that the interviewer was straight up enamored with these players. It wasn't just respectful, they were all eating this up. I love it.

[@DeGandalf]

I completely agree. Compared to most other reportings on video games I've seen (especially here in Germany), they actually seemed like they researched the topic and presented it in a factual way.

[@requiemforameme1]

I think Geoguessr is just really accessible and easily understandable. I’ve got a gaming group at work, and Geoguessr got people who don’t game at all into it. The last time I saw co-workers of all types get together for a game was that 6 months the HQ quiz game was super popular. 😅

[@callumanderson6373]

I think it definitely helps that it's not a very videogamey videogame. I've always seen it as closer to games like wordle and sudoku, which are pretty straightforward (in terms of rules and mechanics). I think since it works with locations in the real world and is closely connected to geography it's also easier for people to see being good at it as a genuinely impressive skill rather than a waste of time, as the video even gives examples of real world impacts the game has had

[@myweirdsecondchannelwithap9070]

Imagine journalists who enjoy what they're reporting about. Instead of whining about it and portraying it as evil

[@BearingMySeoul]

A good journalist is ALWAYS curious. Anything less is lazy!

[@jahoo2k]

Wow, that's a really well prepared segment! Great to see all the guys on TV!

[@eircK]

Exactly! I was expecting normie media to be trashy but this was very cool.

[@Lembo101]

As an Estonian it's fun to see someone who concluded that learning a few words of our little language was worth it in order to be better at this game.

[@williamjohnson4417]

"12 months" in Estonian is an easy phrase to remember for English speakers 🙂

[@Selektionsfaktor]

@@williamjohnson4417 Not sure how that will help me with GeoGuessr, but I laughed out loud!

[@si-bang-sat]

​@@williamjohnson4417kok stays good😁👍

[@SamuelGeist]

I love how the game inspires people to learn even just a little bit more about our world! For example, I've learned the Cyrillic alphabet just to be able to understand signs in the countries whose languages use (or are based upon) Cyrillic. I'm not good at Geoguessr, but I'm now a little better in Eastern European or West Asian countries :D

[@bungalo50]

Shoutout to Geowizard the OG

[@Qaztar44]

my goat

[@throwaway756]

Geowizard ran so that Rainbolt, blinky, zigzag could walk.

[@Dank_Giraffe]

Is he recording?

[@ryyb_himself]

Get in!

[@RufftaMan]

​@@Dank_Giraffewe'll never know how often he wasn't..

[@ukdnbmarsh]

ahh yes Rainbolt - incredible detective, i love the things he does to help others locate places that mean alot to them

[@GroundationOnly]

He's the goat

[@freddie_connor9202]

GeoWizard, the OG, has many videos finding locations from photos

[@kiriappeee]

I love the ending comments about infusing yourself with wonder and a yearning to explore and be more aware of the world around you. That is the kindest and most respectful way of holding up the players who've dedicated so much time and effort to be masters of GeoGuessr

[@autohmae]

Finally a niche game the media could talk about in a way they could identify with, because you can go outside. 🙂 Kind of like the Pokemon Go craze, they understood that better too

[@monkemode8128]

It seems like it's a niche but potentially practical skill. You can help locate where photos/videos were taken quickly. I could see it being very useful for law enforcement and osint (like finding missing children and stuff). Personally I think being able to entertain and inspire others is also practical, it helps the world, but some disagree since the cause and effect is less obvious there.

[@thekamotodragon]

I appreciate how gracious this story was to the geoguessr community. Nothing but positivity when covering this hobby, my hobby, for this story, which is pretty rare nowadays. Anytime a new story usually comes out about a niche hobby, esp a video game, it's normally marred by some judgement or negative comments, but this wasn't so thank you.

[@Dere2727]

Agreed. Not even the usual condescending ‘when I was their age…’ schtick.

[@AABoeing737MAX]

Cool story, the journalist did a good job covering a wide topic. They missed GeoWizard though and he's kind of necessary for telling the GeoGuessr story properly, though he's said recently he's turned down some opportunities involving GeoGuessr so maybe they tried to reach him.

[@jwrs5039]

The real OG

[@U1TR4F0RCE]

He’s also not American so that’s possibly a factor.

[@H786...]

they really should've tried because I remember him making me interested about this game.

[@texasgermancowgirl]

He probably didn’t want to be interviewed because American or not,they’ve def reached out

[@HiMom1311]

@@U1TR4F0RCEneither is zigzag but hes featured here

[@k4kadu]

I can't stand 99% of news segments on internet culture, but this one... this was peak.

[@Repz98]

GeoGuessr just had Grand Final competition, Blinky from France vs MK from US. The Final was insane, locating points to as close as 17 meters.

[@o1-preview]

wow

[@Timtimzi]

link?

[@bbuttons7941]

​@@Timtimzi just search geoguessr world championship. Doesnt take long.

[@Guiguy]

@@Timtimzi GeoGuessr KZbin Channel

[@illiiilli24601]

I guess 5k points isn't enough

[@PullsPressesCarries]

Finding the location of the photo gave me goosebumps, that's incredible!

[@DonnieX6]

GeoWizard also has a series of videos called "Geo detective" where he does it here on KZbin, it is a great watch

[@Monobrauw]

He has a number of these shorts on his youtube channel, really worth a watch :)

[@PullsPressesCarries]

@@Monobrauw Will do thanks brother

[@JMoney615]

Whoever edited this needs a raise

[@requiem9749]

The journalist needs a raise

[@reformed_attempt_1]

for doing their job?

[@gaswe9236]

​@@reformed_attempt_1yes, actually. Thats how raises work.

[@DOPYT1]

The best thing is really Rainbolt finding places people look for through pictures.

[@HappB5]

3 majors and 2 minors at northwestern is insane

[@music-zv6je]

+ the Geoguessr career

[@mathmagician155]

There must've been a lot of overlap in his classes bc I don't know how that's possible

[@Karuiko]

@@mathmagician155 Less a question of time and more a question of money.

[@germanrudecindo3382]

@@mathmagician155 yeah he's just 24 years old, how is that possible

[@mathmagician155]

@Karuiko one or two extra years isn't enough to complete multiple majors minors tho surely

[@bzdtemp]

Playing GeoGuesser had me researching Australian power companies, as the game landed me in the middle of nowhere however eventually I came across some big power lines only I had to learn which company used their configuration, as it would at least tell me what general area of Australia I was in.

[@markuswiig4707]

Googling during the round is cheating

[@senryuuhoutaro3353]

I wholeheartedly applaud, the journalism that took place about GeoGussr. The gaming community always gets ridicule from the mainstream media, this one is just Chef's kiss respectful.

[@UrsaMajorPrime]

I find geoguesser absolutely amazing.

[@SidKneeGeo]

Same its so good!

[@ChokyoDK]

GeoWizard and Rainbolt. The father and the son.

[@alistairblaire6001]

When Google started taking street view photos around the planet this is the last thing I would have expected to happen. Insanely good memory from these lads.

[@Canadagraphs]

Great to see Jake Lyons get some attention. His youtube channel has probably taken up more of my time on youtube than any other channel.

[@corey1845]

I randomly saw the Championship that night and it was one of the most exciting things i saw in a while. The commentary, the atmosphere and the impressive skills of the players. It was awesome.

[@banninghamma]

Had a privilege to combat against Jake once when Geoguessr was still free to play. He eventually won it but I managed to hang on til round 3-4. I only found out I was playing against him after watching his live play video on his KZbin channel. Geogussr is an amazing game. It sucks that it is behind paywalls now thanks to increasingly expensive Google Map API cost, but I wish for the best for Geoguessr and the community.

[@fanances]

Im so happy they mentioned the picture finding part where people want to know the location of a picture that is dear to them, that was true journalism. They did not miss any detail or ideas. Very good article

[@lailianime]

I don't watch American news / morning shows on daily basis but these tv people are so respectful. I really like it. I have seen some tv people invited someone with unique hobby etc and just bringing them down and making them feel bad about what they like to do.

[@kemon3733]

Now I understand why Snowden doesnt take pictures near windows

[@munbu8625]

if theres ever a geoguesr tournament, the contestants should only be given a photo of the venue with not address attached

[@emirildiz2009]

Cute idea! Funny thing, they just had the World Cup last week, and in the final round, a picture of the building they are playing in (Stockholm City Hall) popped up! What are the odds, out of millions of Google Maps images?!!! The audience erupted.

[@RCPlambo]

Now this is news. First time in years i legitimately felt happy and interested watching a news segment. Great editing and great journalism. Hope more news can be discovering the different hobbies and things humans for fun instead of hurtful things. Thank you CBS

[@muneeb-khan]

Dang, Nancy Chen really presented and researched the topic really well. Really excellent story telling. Also 5:35, really gotta given Rainbolt a small L there.

[@BARUtubbig]

I can't believe this small game I played like 10 years ago now has a whole world cup and main media coverage. It's so much fun!

[@Nabend1402]

Compared to these guys I only skimmed the very surface of this game but I find it amazing that even I can now see one house and immediately say "Oh, right... Andorra!".

[@kali_kali_kali_]

1:05 I really love the accidental coolness of this shot where the californian pole can be seen for like a second before it switches to another perspective right as he's listing things

[@Senriam]

Definitely intentional

[@marcus8player]

An actual well made TV segment about a game, I'm impressed! Well done.

[@CantcerCause]

Well shot and written segment, thoroughly enjoyable. Props!

[@Manstobal]

This was a great segment. Great journalism, top tier

[@synergyandsource2425]

Adding to the chorus of voices talking about how respectfully done this segment was. I really appreciated that, and I learned something new from this segment. Thank you, Nancy Chen & CBS team!

[@ecMonify]

this felt like something i'd see on tv in the 90s :D had a huge smile on my face the entire time. lovely :D

[@77batering]

These guys all gonna be future CIA operatives lmao this is literally such a pool of specialized talent

[@annaairahala9462]

Rainbolt did a test on that just for fun already. It was a pretty easy test tbf, but I think it shows they do genuinely have one of the necessary skills

[@carloleal30]

@@annaairahala9462 Wouldn't be surprised if one day Rainbolt just tells us stories of his gigs with the CIA during his retirement.

[@omarholder9036]

You thought Rainbolt just up and decided one day to travel to different countries? Oh you poor naive thing. He already working for them Btw this is a joke. Not being serious

[@SYCPrescott]

@@omarholder9036 he moved closer to china to push the CIA's offer higher LUL

[@CyrilJap]

Until AI does it in 2 seconds.

[@michaelheliotis5279]

Thanks to Rainbolt, I learned that my ability to recognise Mongolian grass and Christmas Island vibes isn't weird. 🙏 Those people who recognise Californian power poles and Indonesian bollards are definitely nerds though. 🤭

[@zondor8123]

the closer you live to those regions the easier you can guess them, all southeast asian people should know the kind of bollards indo uses

[@banninghamma]

And Midway Atoll 😄

[@brxan3096]

The story about Rainbolt finding the location of the only photo that person had of their mom made it onto my Twitter timeline & I couldn't believe it when I first saw it. That's still by far the most impressive thing I've seen with regards to GeoGuessr.

[@Dom-zy1qy]

It is pretty niche, but i think geoguesser is unironically one of (if not the best) esports (if we would consider it an esport) in terms of viewing experience for the average person. The nature of the game allows people watching on their own to "participate", you can try to guess on your own. Other esports you need to really strain your eyes and or be knowledgable about the game to see what's going on.

[@Ealstrom]

that was a great segment!! really enjoyed the interviews and all about it

[@DG360MaN]

It can be argued that this wouldn't be happening without Geowizard popularizing and inspiring so many in the community

[@foolmetwice374]

Yeah, the way I found out about it was from watching his Norway straight line mission.

[@amadeosendiulo2137]

I didn't know it was his actual surname!

[@Senriam]

Surname is last name

[@GPCyanide]

Originally there was supposed to be a segment about GeoWizard in that video clip but the camera guy forgot to press record

[@coasteringkid]

I like how the geoguessr players are going out and traveling, triple majoring, and finding info about loved ones. I sort of had the impression geoguessr was their entire life based on how much time it would have spent to develop their skills

[@mmmmmatt]

“People play GeoGuessr from all over the world". ...are you expecting me to respond to that?

[@bruno_tcs]

Such an American comment 😅

[@artomiss]

No not really cause they can’t hear you from your mom’s couch

[@u1zha]

@@artomiss It was referring to the long pause from interviewee (the Swede who created the game) obvs

[@artomiss]

@@u1zha mb

[@VEAFY]

Тебя спрашивали?

[@YouCanCallMeBobot]

Geo Guesser is an educational game. It's also impressive because the players are good at investigating and observing. It's not an easy game but it's fun to play and watch the players

[@Timothymukansi]

The video wouldn't be complete without a mention of Rainbolt. What a legend.

[@NathanLipetz]

Did not know Jake was 24 and Rainbolt 25. I'm 23 and watch them every day, just assumed they were both in their early 30s.

[@sh0werp0wer]

That's because when you look up to or admire people with exceptional skills or achievements, you kind of assume they are older than you. I'm 31 and I still do that, except now they are often times much younger than me. FeelsBadMan.jpg

[@NathanLipetz]

@@sh0werp0wer ya that’s a good point actually. You also don’t expect people this knowledgeable to be that young

[@efovex]

That was a... shockingly well done, respectful, thoughtful piece on our weird little hobby and subculture. Kudos to Nancy Chen!

[@Pr0HoN]

So refreshing to see a positive spin on gaming culture from "mainstream media"! It was even in-depth and well researched! Good job, team!

[@Eikorunu]

This is one of the best segments I've ever seen from a news channel

[@kwaitefuni9152]

I watched the World Cup Finals. It was insane. Such a close finish between both competitors.

[@renital_4279]

Very surprised to finally witness respectful journalism about a segment related to a video game, most others would be people laughing about how they're a waste of time or provide no meaningful value. The reporter put forth actual effort into understanding what Geoguessr is and approaching the interviews with enthusiasm. Loved this!

[@zondor8123]

"im not gonna tell you where this burger is at" rainbolt : challenge accepted *proceeds to get a burger menu with his name on it

[@polidon1577]

fr, like what's even the point of keeping the location a secret? does the restaurant a massive disservice

[@josefernandez4423]

@@polidon1577 it's an engagement trap and it worked. it got huge exposure to the point where it caught rainbolt's attention.

[@Rncko]

@@polidon1577 There are many possible reasons but it all leads to 1 single phenomena --> rack up comments count. (basically there's no way of knowing if someone has personal reasons behind or just simply playing "secretive" to rack up comments count)

[@polidon1577]

@@Rncko I get not wanting to give it a ton of traffic so you can keep going there with not too long a wait, but then why even put out the video

[@Rncko]

@@polidon1577 Its not even about the traffic sometimes you know. One of the possible scenario is that It could be any other shop or any other beautiful place where people are interested in & the dude can just hold back the info and just sit back and enjoy all the "Plss & beggings" comment popping up & feel like he is superior than the others to see people begging like sore losers. (I do post videos myself years ago & I do know the feelings of *"baiting"* for comments/ *attention* . Its the same thing when you see comments like "Song name?" and then there's multiple possibilities like "Darude Sandstorm" or someone who actually knows the song and enjoy the same genre as you pops up orrrr in extra rare case when someone who actually picks up that easter egg theme I slipped in calls it out and its a damn bro moment)

[@ellomate..]

Really enjoyed watching this from Aussie. Quality piece mate

[@erack1]

Excellent journalism. Thank you CBS. Especially in these times. Glad to see some solid reporting.

[@searsbear7965]

as someone who is getting better and better at OSINT things, this is quite neat to see getting covered. Might even help people be more aware of their online footprint

[@jesusisgodandking270]

This was a very very very good coverage! Wow!!!

[@syndicalistspeedsolver]

Blinkey literally has seen everything on the map

[@NFSHeld]

For those who are not really into this topic yet and wonder about the "guess in 0.1 seconds", the way it works is that you are shown a single image for 0.1s, then the screen goes black and you are only left with a world map and need to place a pin on where you think it was. So it's not really guess IN 0.1s, more like guess FROM 0.1s. In that time span, you obviously can't really "look" at the image, but for professional players it is enough to pick up details (subconsciously, even) that enable them to guess latitude, altitude, country, maybe the region, and quite often they can pinpoint the location of that image to a few miles.

[@ShowTheOreo]

His answer for what surprises him is beautiful. Exactly why I love traveling, there really seems like an endless amount of things to discover in the world

[@monopoly5496]

I would have loved to see some of the older players (not in terms of age of the player but in terms of when they started to play) like e.g. GeoWizard in this

[@aztronostic_]

I wish the esports world was more respected like this

[@IxDarkxNinjaxI]

Awesome reporting!

[@GrandTerr]

This is a nice segment because it's a nice activity and relatable to normal life. I think many parents would find it a much better hobbie than league of legends.

[@andrewsantos2570]

I play geoguessr daily, I’m a huge geography nerd and I’ll never forget when I was shown it the first time. Definitely not a rainbolt, or as good as any of the streamers but it’s a very niche subculture and I’m glad to see it getting some attention.

[@maruftim]

Now that's journalism, a deep dive coverage and shows how fun the topic is

[@IHamilton9320]

It wouldn’t be respectful coverage if they neglected to mention how terrifying Rainbolt is. Great segment

[@Trickshotter]

I love how Geoguessr pros are not labelled as fools who have nothing better to do, more so passionate about the game

[@kallekovacs]

For everyone saying that this is a respectful segment and a great news piece. Yes, it is. And this is 99% of what you see if you really watch legacy media. The issue is that outside of what haters online feed you with, you never see anything anyone does ever.

[@Robman92]

Had no idea this was a thing, and in my country no less! Didn’t even know Geoguessr was Swedish! : O

[@mattstaks]

Actually a good piece from CBS.

[@piangfuann]

This is so awesome! I hope he also gets to go visit all the places he guessed! Also very good, coverage!

[@IIISentorIII]

@2:12 that is the most beautiful and cute smile ever 😊

[@dannyarcher6370]

6:45 - Westville, Durban! Not far from where I grew up. ❤

[@januszo.2180]

rainbolt seems such a great person overall

[@iangorton8390]

Best journalism I have ever seen!

[@scillyautomatic]

Love this game!!

[@MrNatty-P]

thats crazy

[@bentoguarabyra5875]

ANO QUE VEM É DO ORLANDO!! 🇧🇷🇧🇷

[@jakemarcus9999]

I love how well he pronounces Järvikeskus in Finnish

[@beorlingo]

With my limited amount of knowledge of Finnish I'd think that would be in the middle of a lake.

[@janpatrikkittila2355]

It's Järve Keskus in Tallinn Estonia

[@beorlingo]

@@janpatrikkittila2355 what does it mean?

[@nietzfritzchen]

W reporter

[@bukovinian]

How amazing is it, to help someone find a place where their mother took a picture. That place is sacred to that person now.

[@許樂山-q5d]

Excellent reportage ! Merci !

[@Cid_Coletti]

Its one of my favorite chill games to play and watch. I stream on Twitch and even my small community of horror fans would enjoy watching when I would stream/play it. I love that it was covered this way :)

[@flookaraz]

Launders cameo at 3:42 Rainbolt at 5:08

[@keselekbakiak]

The skill of these champion could be a great assets for investigation.

[@jsoellne]

Or the CIA or FBI

[@apex9806]

Very good report. This reporter's name should be highlighted, she did so good.

[@bue7884]

This was a incredibly well done segment

[@nathanvrvrt]

This is a great reportage! Kind and polite

[@victorburnett6329]

forreal these dudes are forensic geniuses

[@mikatu]

This might look dificult at first but after a while you get to see the same places and you get the feeling right away.

[@Goxilla]

those guys could easily help to track down crimnals for any intelligence services

[@jedensamochodmniej]

And they do. Geoguessing is part of investigative journalism and it is done by intelligence service.

[@2teethPogZa]

Wow instead of taking the “HAH? What’s that? I would never get how they do it!” Route, they ACTUALLY did a great report on such a nerdy subject

[@SKAOG21]

damn this was great positive coverage of the game!