If you're in the small portion of the Venn diagram where Google Ingress players and Google I/O attendees intersect, I'm about to make you very happy. It looks like the big G is paying quite a bit of attention to Niantic Labs' social geo-game, because every single registered attendee for Google I/O 2013 will be given an automatic invitation to Ingress, which is still in beta. Ingress will also be given at least some coverage in the initial I/O keynote on May 15th.

There are also going to be organized games on both Tuesday, May 14th and Wednesday the 15th in the Moscone Center, leading up to a "major Ingress-wide game event in San Francisco" on the 17th. Details on this Bay Area pow-wow are scarce, but it will be happening between 7PM and 9PM local time, presumably somewhere outside the conference (or at least in an area that supersedes it) since players across the city will be able to participate.

Here's the text of the email sent to Google I/O 2013 attendees:

We're pleased to share that all Google I/O 2013 registrants will be given an exclusive opportunity to play Ingress, the massively multiplayer geo game that was recently launched by Google's Niantic Labs and is currently in closed beta. We'll be hosting games on both Tuesday, May 14th from 4- 6PM at Moscone West (1st floor), and on Wednesday, May 15th from 7- 10PM at the I/O After Hours Party at Moscone West (3rd Floor). There will also be a major Ingress-wide game event in San Francisco the evening of Thursday, May 16th from 7- 9PM which I/O attendees are invited to participate in.

Within the next 48 hours, an Ingress code will be sent from io2013-google@ingress.com to your preferred email for I/O communications. We encourage you to set up your Ingress account in advance of the event and begin your field agent training. We'll also have staff on hand throughout I/O, starting on Tuesday, to help you make the most of this innovative mobile gaming experience.

Finally, don't miss out on the opportunity to learn more about the design vision behind Ingress in the I/O session on Wednesday, May 15th at 3:30 PM.

It's a safe bet that some cool new stuff is happening in the world of Ingress. Here's hoping for an end to the closed beta, so that both the Enlightened and the Resistance can swell their ranks.

Ingress Prime Developer: Niantic, Inc.
Price: Free
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