It was a fun game. If I really like a certain cafe and go there almost every day it was fun to have some way to show and compete for that.

The benefit was a good UX.

Ridiculously type-A people can't see a game without wanting to win it.

That's at least what got me on foursquare. Really sad to see points go. Every time I traveled I'd try to top my high score and I really think it helped.

Occasionally venues would have special perks for the mayor.