Is Geocaching a Sport? Hobby? or Game?

When I started thegeocacher.com I wondered where it should be placed in terms of categorization.  I think we could fairly place it into categories with sports, hobbies, or games.  There are quite a few more categories you could use to describe geocaching, but ultimately I thought those 3 were the most all encompassing.

Using the technology at hand, I jumped onto Wikipedia to see if I could gather some further information and perhaps fine tune the categories.  This is what I found:

Wikipedia defines “Sport” as:  “activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively.”   I’m not sure about your experiences with geocaching but I think that all of these certainly apply.   There is a set of guidelines we follow as it relates to cache’s.  A sort of etiquette if you will.   (sign the log, exchange swag, etc.)  You also have that somewhat competitive side related to how many caches you’ve logged, level of difficulty and the like. 

While Wikipedia goes on to indicate that there is usually a physical element to sport it does indicate there are some sports where the level of physical activity is reduced and you are dealing with more of a mental challenge.   I would contend that in geocaching you can not only experience the physical but you will also need a high level of mental activity.

A hobby, again according to Wikipedia “is a spare-time recreational pursuit.”  I don’t know too many of us that participate in geocaching as a full time activity that we consider to be work.  Granted there are people who earn a living FROM geocaching, but the actual process of going out and finding a cache is probably a spare time recreational activity for virtually all of us. 

Finally, we have the definition of a game.  This “is a structured activity, usually undertaken for enjoyment and sometimes also used as an educational tool. Games are distinct from work, which is usually carried out for remuneration, and from art, which is more concerned with the expression of ideas… Key components of games are goals, rules, challenge, and interactivity. Games generally involve mental or physical stimulation, and often both. Many games help develop practical skills, serve as a form of exercise, or otherwise perform an educational, simulational or psychological role.  Again this seems to define to a “T” what geocaching is all about.

For the purpose of thegeocaher.com we’re going to place geocaching into all 3 categories and you will probably see postings that will refer the the sport of geocaching, or our newest hobby – geocaching, or even the geocaching game.   They key things to keep in mind is that there are rules, there is a physical component as well as a mental component and that it is often interactive and team related and can be very social and competitive. 

I’d be interested in your thoughts… When you tell your friends about geocaching how do you refer to it?  Game, Sport or Hobby?

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