Foursquare (the app)

I could go on for hours about the game, but this is a blurb about the internet social network thing.
Yesterday I had my 100th check in on Foursquare. It was for my first time seeing a movie at the Mann's Chinese Theater, which happened to be an advanced company screening of the end of an epic decade long film saga, so it was a pretty awesome check-in. But I digress.
I've been a Foursquare for a little over a month, I've made 100 check-ins and received nine badges. According to the site, about three quarters of the places I check-in at are new, and I'm usually going to three different places when I'm out. All these stats are pretty awesome to me, because before I signed up for it I was complaining about how boring my life had gotten and that I don't do anything anymore. Now I'm doing a lot. According to Foursquare.
I put out this energy to the universe, that I was gonna be more active and have adventures everywhere. To make it official, I signed up for Foursquare, saying that I would need this account to keep track of all the fantastic places I'd be going. Low and behold, I'm going places! Not only am I just out and about way more, but this month I'll be flying to Virginia to be introduced to all kinds of new places for a while, and then the month after that I'll be in Alaska! And I'll be checking in like crazy!
But even more than the possible cosmic effect this internet game has had on my life, it's fun! I have no idea what it is about it that I like so much, but it's fun! I haven't bothered with the merchants, brands, or other third party things. I haven't gotten any of the associated apps, and I haven't started a To-Do List. All I've done is check-in to places and attach little messages every now and a la Twitter. And that alone is just fun to me. It's like a scavenger hunt that you can tweet about and everyone's in on it. And you get fictional badges for it!
There's also something about racking up points, fulfilling the many categories, and being rewarded for being some place new. It makes you feel all the more accomplished for spending time outside your living room, even if it turns out the place was a dud. And occasionally there are legitimate rewards, like free stuff or good tips to making the most out of some place you know nothing about. Eventually I'll try out the third party stuff and see what else I can get out of all these check-ins.
The only thing I really haven't agreed with is the same thing that kept me off the site for so long. Why is it called Foursquare. Four square is already an awesome, awesome game. And I don't see the connection or any homage being paid. And the other thing is that it's become this gateway app that makes me want an iPhone just so it's easier to check in. And since Foursquare, I've signed up for GetGlue, FormSpring, and now I'm considering Klout. I think it could lead to my destruction, but at least I'll be out and about when it happens.
Follow my geographic decline into madness on Foursquare.