“Looking for group” is a commonly used phrase in gaming circles: it means you want to play, but don’t have anyone to play with. At a time when people’s schedules are busier than ever and nearly every social media platform shows updates out of date, trying to find someone to game with you when you actually want to play is difficult at best. Fortunately, there’s now an app for that.
Enter AllKnightr, a location-based social network that connects you with gamers near you. Whether you want to set up a LAN party, a one-shot D&D campaign, or a simple board game night, AllKnightr can help.
AllKnightr is an idea born of boredom and desperation, explained founder and CEO Kevin Newman at the app’s launch party last Saturday. He was back home in North Carolina for a while, lonely, and having zero success in his attempts to find someone to game with him. AllKnightr is meant to solve those issues by connecting users with local gamers IRL, facilitating game nights and budding friendships.
The app interface is clean and simple. First time users are prompted to create a profile with a pic, brief bio, and list of games you play and consoles you play on. Otherwise, the app opens directly to the home screen, displaying a grid of gamer profiles categorized by proximity to you. You can message people individually, post statuses about where you are or what you’re playing, and even flag and block profiles for inappropriate behavior – which, as a woman in gaming, is a feature I appreciate more than I can adequately express.
The party included a presentation with an impressive list of Coming Soon features:
-
Board games, card games, and tabletop will all be added to the games list, all with their own individual tabs; additionally, users will be allowed to add/submit games to the list, with a select group of users acting as list moderators to prevent it from getting out of hand;
-
Corporate accounts will be available in the future – for now, businesses are encouraged to make a gamer profile;
-
The app will include push notifications;
-
Status updates will disappear after 24 hours so as to keep your feed up to date;
-
A Looking For Group tab will be added to facilitate finding groups to join and will be sorted by game.
The presentation also covered the subscription model: free users have ads and limitations are placed on the number of daily status updates that can be posted and the use of the Looking for Group tab, whereas $5/month subscription users have no limitations and no ads.
Personally, I’m excited for the app. I’ve definitely had nights where I’ve needed another member for my Overwatch group or wanted to go play board games in a local place but haven’t been able to find anyone to join me, and AllKnightr looks like it will help with that. It is an app that’s going to require a good number of people to join it in order for it to work, but once it passes that threshold it should be the gamer social app that we never knew we needed.
Plus, E3 is just around the corner: AllKnightr could be the perfect way to set up a watch party with your local gamers. Give it a try and see what you think.
AllKnightr is available in the Google Play store now and should be available in the Apple App store soon.
— Katie Cullen