One of the hottest trends in location and mobility is local-social gaming: Foursquare, GoWalla and MyTown, with a couple of others not far behind. Accordingly, the most recent report I wrote for Internet2Go clients is "How ‘Geo-Social Gaming’ Is Changing Local Mobile Search":

It’s very tempting to dismiss “geo-social games” such as Foursquare, Gowalla and MyTown as fads. Yet doing so would diminish how these apps alter the culture of local mobile search and even location-based “advertising” in potentially significant ways. Recognizing the challenge, Google and Yelp have already responded. But other local media companies hoping to succeed in mobile may not clearly see the threat – or opportunity – in emulating, buying or partnering with these emerging players.

And here's the conclusion of that document:

Our view is that many of the features that have crystallized in geo-social gaming are likely here to stay:

--Check-ins/location sharing

--Real-time syndication of presence and location-based content on social networks (comments or tips about locations/business)

--Consumer competition over local deals tied to status (as both incentive and reward)

Media companies and publishers in the local segment must take a careful look at this emerging phenomenon and figure out how to smartly respond in one or more of the ways discussed above. They should not, however, dismiss it as a fad or something exclusively for college students or “geeks” and early adopters. That same type of bemusement and scorn were the prevailing attitudes that also greeted Twitter when it first launched. 

Here's Foursquare by the numbers on its first birthday, the eve of the SXSW conference/festival at which it launched last year:

Over 500,000 users 
Over 1,000,000 badges have been awarded
Over 1.4 million venues with 1200 offering specials
Over 15.5 million checkins

… and last Friday we had our biggest day ever, weighing in at 275,000 checkins over the course of the day.

MyTown has more users and GoWalla has raised more money, but Foursquare is squarely the one in the spotlight right now . . . perhaps until Facebook launches location sharing.