New mobile game “Playing Prague” aims to attract tourists interested in culture
Attracting more educated tourists interested in culture to Prague is the goal of a new game called Playing Prague. Created by developers from Charles Games, a studio founded in 2020 at Charles University, the game allows you to build your own image of the capital and learn from its history.
Ondřej Paška, technical director of Charles Games, spoke to Czech Radio about the goal behind the game:
“We thought about how to make the game as accessible as possible to a wide range of players. So, we created a system where the player essentially builds the city, and a historical monument, statue, or small park always appears in front of them.”
In each of the game's six levels, you build one iconic Prague landmark by logically composing the prescribed patterns. In this way, you will gradually build the Old Town Hall, the towers of the Charles Bridge or the cable car to Petřín Hill. Players also receive cards with symbols such as a chalice, tree, sun or key. Paška explains what these signify:
"Each of these symbols is linked to a Prague house sign, while also representing the diversity of the city, showing that there is space for culture, monuments, places for recreation, and more."
Part of the promotional campaign
The Playing Prague game is part of a promotional campaign to attract tourists with a greater interest in the city's history and cultural heritage to the metropolis, according to Prague City Tourism board vice-chair Jana Adamcová:
"In the game, each level lets you discover a different landmark or notable personality of Prague. Everything is woven together with the city’s iconic pavement patterns, so every detail reveals an authentic piece of Prague."
According to Jiří Pospíšil, Deputy Mayor of Prague for Culture, the city center is plagued by a large number of tourists who come just for street entertainment. This game aims to bring in a tourist sector interested in its history:
"Quantity in tourism is not our goal, as it is becoming increasingly difficult for locals to cope. Even today, we feel that the center of Prague is overloaded and that it is unpleasant for the city’s residents. We are also promoting other areas where we plan to redirect some tourists in the future."
According to estimates, Prague should be visited by about 8 million tourists this year. Prague City Tourism wants to focus its campaign mainly on those from Poland, Germany, Austria, and Italy.
