Augmented reality and the intersection of physical / virtual space

"Geofilters are illustrations that can be overlaid onto photos while in specific locations. It's a feature the company has been experimenting with for some time, though it wasn't available to all users until last week's update.
Since then, users have created hundreds of their own specialized illustrations for the app tied to places such as schools, parks, zoos, campgrounds or even entire cities. "
— Mashable, Snapchat geofilters: How they work and why they matter

"Earlier this year, Snapchat expanded the ability to make these illustrations to all users with a feature that enables anyone to pay for custom geofilters. Unlike the app's other location-based filters for neighborhoods or cities, which may stay at a specific location indefinitely, on-demand geofilters expire after a preset period of time." — Mashable, How to Make Your Own Snapchat Geofilters

Messaging, shopping, photo sharing, money transfers, games – that's just some of the functions of Japanese LINE app. Apart from being an ecosystem of its own, it also has merchandise stores on Tokyo's high streets. Mascots from the app's stocker packs make perfect souvenirs.

"Its reported revenue of $656 million in 2014 comes from a range of sources that few rivals can match: It sells games that can be played solo or with other Line users; those digital stickers, which can be purchased to express a dizzying array of emotions; marketing deals with brands and celebrities that want to reach its user base; and merchandise such as the products at the Harajuku shop. Meanwhile, Facebook has yet to spell out how it intends to make money from Messenger."
— Fast Company, How Japan's Line App Became A Culture-Changing, Revenue-Generating Phenomenon

The map-oriented mobile game got everyone hooked, but once the biggest fans achieved everything there was to achieve, it slowly disappeared from the headlines.
What can we learn from this? A good game should have more than one development pattern (quest / use case / etc). It shouldn't get predictable.

An "alternative pokemon go" emerged in St Petersburg, where a doll maker thought of a doll-spotting game. He'd hide a few china dolls around the city and post location hints online. The first person to photograph the doll becomes the winner of the week.

And this reminds of a drug-distribution scheme, but overall, it's a good fun.