Virtual Road Trip: Explore the World with Google Street View

A Digital Journey: Exploring Internet Roadtrip

It is Friday afternoon, and the sounds of Bowdoin College’s radio broadcast blend with the ambient noise of car horns. Despite this auditory landscape, my physical location is not Maine, nor am I traveling by vehicle. I am situated at my desk, experiencing Internet Roadtrip.

What is Internet Roadtrip?

Internet Roadtrip is best described as an MMORTG – a massive multiplayer online road trip game. Neal Agarwal, the game's developer, terms it a “road-trip simulator.”

Every ten seconds, participants cast votes to determine the direction the “car” will travel within Google Street View. Options also include sounding the horn or switching radio stations.

The direction receiving the most votes is selected, propelling the vehicle along a scenic route dictated by the collective decision of the online community.

Echoes of the Past: Twitch Plays Pokémon

Internet Roadtrip evokes memories of Twitch Plays Pokémon, a landmark stream from over a decade ago.

In that earlier event, viewers collaboratively controlled a Pokémon Red game by voting on button presses. However, Internet Roadtrip is demonstrably less chaotic.

This difference stems from a smaller player base – currently around a thousand – and the availability of more sophisticated organizational tools, such as Discord, compared to those available during the Twitch Plays Pokémon era.

A Deliberately Slow Pace

Progress on this virtual road trip unfolds at a deliberately slow speed, even slower than a pedestrian’s pace.

Discord moderators routinely manage expectations, clarifying that ambitious goals like reaching Las Vegas from Maine are impractical, potentially requiring nearly ten months of real-world time.

Similar limitations apply to Alaska, but the challenges extend beyond mere temporal constraints.

Navigational Limitations

“Google Street View functions by assembling numerous photographs. In certain regions along routes leading to Alaska, gaps exist in the available imagery,” explains the Discord FAQ.

“Attempting to navigate these roads would result in the car becoming immobilized, as these gaps are present on all potential routes to Alaska. We have verified this.”

The Journey, Not the Destination

Unlike other Street View-based games, such as GeoGuessr, Internet Roadtrip lacks a defined objective.

Some Discord users have proposed a drive to Canada as a feasible goal, considering the current location in Maine.

However, the true appeal lies not in reaching a specific destination, but in the shared experience of listening to a college radio station alongside a thousand strangers, while traversing the picturesque backroads of Blue Hill, Maine.