The Niantic Project
Not many people know that a controversial quantum anomaly was discovered back in 2012 by an American intelligence agency known as the NIA. Attempts were made to keep the discovery secret, but information leaked into public hands as the NIA scrambled to organize a research team within the department. Declassified documents identify a wide assortment of professionals recruited for “The Niantic Project” who were put to work analyzing the newly discovered quantum energy.
We now know that the secrecy behind the Niantic Project and the quantum energy they were studying (Exotic Matter) was intended to prevent widespread panic. Exotic Matter has the potential to affect human behavior and thought in a number of potentially dangerous ways due to its resonant frequency. The research team quickly found pockets of Exotic Matter all over the globe and estimated that thousands, if not millions, of people are at risk of exposure to the resonant frequencies that alter human cognition on a daily basis.
Today, there are some who believe that the Exotic Matter is not proven to cause any adverse effects to the regular cognition of those who come in contact with it, while others believe that the Exotic Matter is slowly changing the way we think, act and develop as a species. The conflict between proponents on either side continues to grow, but there is one thing both sides agree on: As P.A. Chapeau (Exotic Matter expert) has been saying since the very beginning, “The world around you is not what it seems. There is no game here.”
Just Kidding. It’s All a Game
If this all sounds alarming, or perhaps ridiculous, that’s because it’s all fictitious. The characters, anomalies and organizations are all a part of a mobile game called Ingress Prime. The game was developed by Niantic, Inc., the same team behind Pokemon Go, and the goal of the game is to give people an interactive adventure out in the real world. While our Signature Coins team has had the opportunity to work with all kinds of different organizations, Ingress Prime is using its custom challenge coins in a more elaborate fashion than most of our other clients.
Coins like this one are designed to look like in-game medals and are an extension of the ongoing story within the game. The Exotic Matter (XM) described in the first section is the main force driving the plot and gameplay of Ingress Prime. The game itself has a capture the flag type feeling, similar to Pokemon Go, that requires players to work together to capture important strongholds and earn special in-game gear and experience.
In Pokemon Go, the different factions are Team Mystic, Team Valor and Team Instinct, while in Ingress Prime the two factions are known as the Enlightened and the Resistance. What makes both games so unique in the world of video games is their focus on outdoor activity. In Ingress Prime, the Enlightened team and the Resistance team compete for control of XM, which is found out in the real world, usually near historic landmarks, monuments, artwork or in nature parks. Harnessing the XM requires a “scanner” (smartphone app) with GPS capability so players can scan their local area for XM and collect it as they walk around.
Coins like these were created for members of the Resistance team who met up in Houston for a recent “anomaly” event. In the game’s lore, anomalies occur when a heavy concentration of the XM appears in a certain area, but you can think of it as a special gathering event like a convention for players to enjoy. Every anomaly brings thousands of players together from all over the world and offers each team special in-game missions and unique gear to take home from the creators of the game.
Custom Challenge Coins Celebrating Adventure
The creators of Ingress Prime wanted to design a game with an intricate story that players could invest in that was also fun to play. But they also wanted to make something that inspired collaboration and exploration. The experience of playing Ingress Prime has been compared to adventure games like geocaching that encourage people to explore new places, meet new people and experience new things.
Custom challenge coins are a natural fit in this kind of environment. At major gatherings like the Darsana event in Georgia, custom Ingress Prime coins are exchanged and examined by people from all over the world. Sharing the coins is a great way to welcome new members, celebrate new friendships and remember a specific adventure after the event is over. Just like the game they were made for, these souvenir custom challenge coins are designed to bring people together.
