‘Chasseurs de livres’ (Book hunters) is a game played though Facebook, inspired by the popularity of the Pokémon Go mobile phone app. It already has over 40,000 users and its creator, Aveline Gregoire, a Belgian primary school headmaster told Reuters ‘While I was arranging my library, I realised I didn’t have enough space for all my books. Having played Pokémon Go with my kids, I had the idea of releasing the books into nature.’
Essentially, players hide a book they no longer want somewhere public and post clues, hints and sometimes photos of its location to the Facebook group. The books are often wrapped in transparent plastic to protect them from the elements. When someone finds a book they read it, comment to the group, then release the volume back into the wild again. Gregoire says he is now investigating a possible Chasseurs de livres app. There’s no reason to wait for that – while most users are in Belgium anyone can join the Facebook group and spread the word.