Project Skydrop is the brainchild of Jason Rohrer, a Dover, N.H., man who has been called “ the world’s most interesting video game designer. ” Each day, in addition to shrinking map, Rohrer sends players who have paid the $20 registration fee an aerial photo of the statue on the forest floor. On day one, the photo was just a foot off the ground, but each day the camera rose higher. On Monday, Day 12 of the hunt, that image had risen above the tree canopy but still didn’t reveal much. Eventually, Rohrer said, the photos will rise to a height where they reveal geographic details that will, along with the shrinking map, clue searchers into the would-be location. The prize is a 10-ounce, 24-karat gold statue that Rohrer cast himself, currently valued at more than $26,000. In addition, the statue features a code that the finder can redeem for a prize bounty that will be half of the total entry fees. As of Monday afternoon, that cash prize was approaching $75,000. Which means roughly 7,500 people have paid to enter, and a map showing the zip codes of registered players reveals it is heavily concentrated in Massachusetts, particularly in the Pioneer Valley. In short, word is out that this thing is in our backyard, and people are looking. But Project Skydrop is designed to last no more than three weeks and will be over by Oct. 10 at the latest, because on that day the map will shrink to a single square foot, essentially pointing at the location. But Rohrer expects it will be found sometime in the third week, which begins this Thursday, when the aerial images will show important details, just as the map – which shrinks each day, off-center, somewhere in the previous circle – narrows down the potential search area. Rohrer, who is known for his highly intellectual, if esoteric, video games , said the goal of Project Skydrop was to create an accessible game that anyone can play, with the goal of getting people off their screens, into the woods, and exploring. With fall foliage nearing its peak a perfect weather forecast for the weekend, it could be a nice time for a hike in western Mass. And maybe, just maybe, you’ll walk out of the woods with a small fortune.
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