Taipei, Taiwan Embraces Mobile Gaming Events To Turn The City Into A Playable Destination

Published on December 17, 2025

Taipei, a city that has always been praised for its street food, night markets and artistic vitality, is now trying to charm tourists by its playful side. The Mayor Chiang Wan-an, during his Thursday speech, presented a plan that integrates tourism with technology and suggested taking advantage of massive mobile gaming competitions to draw tourists to discover various parts of the Taiwanese capital.

Speaking about venues managed by Taipei Metro Recreation Co, Chiang highlighted a familiar challenge for destination marketers: how to draw consistent visitor flows to attractions that are spread across the city. The Maokong Gondola, Taipei Children’s Amusement Park and Taipei Arena sit in different districts, making traditional joint promotions less effective. From a traveller’s perspective, however, that very distance could become part of the appeal.

Turning distance into discovery

Rather than seeing geography as an obstacle, city officials are now examining how mobile games could transform movement across Taipei into an urban adventure. Chiang was quoted as saying that city-wide, location-based gaming events could motivate people to travel between districts, turning commutes into quests and neighbourhoods into story settings.

He pointed to the Pokémon GO City Safari model as an example of how digital play can bring physical spaces to life. Similar events, he suggested, could invite players to roam from riverside parks to shopping streets, discovering local food stalls, cafés and cultural landmarks along the way.

From a tourism standpoint, this approach aligns with Taipei’s long-standing strategy of encouraging visitors to venture beyond headline attractions. According to the official Taipei Tourism website, the city promotes itself as a mosaic of distinct neighbourhoods, each with its own culinary traditions, creative scenes and historical layers. Mobile gaming, officials believe, could provide a compelling narrative thread linking those areas together.

Economic ripple effects for travellers and locals

Chiang was reported to have said that such exploratory games could extend the amount of time players spend in the city. For travellers, that might mean an extra night booked near a metro hub, or a spontaneous detour to a night market unlocked by an in-game challenge. For the local economy, it translates into what the mayor described as a ripple effect across transport, dining, retail and accommodation.

Taipei’s efficient MRT system already makes multi-district exploration easy, a fact frequently highlighted in tourism promotions. Layering a gaming experience on top of this infrastructure could make moving around feel less like logistics and more like play, particularly for younger visitors who value interactive experiences over passive sightseeing.

When gaming meets urban imagination

Beyond commercial impact, Chiang also drew attention to the cultural potential of gaming. He cited a standout case from earlier this year in which a player reportedly spent a full year recreating and redesigning the area around Taipei Railway Station in a Minecraft city-building event. The project sparked widespread discussion online, showing how virtual platforms can inspire real-world conversations about urban space.

Officials see this as evidence that games have become one of the most effective ways to engage young people. In indirect remarks, Chiang suggested that internationally recognised games could be used to invite participants to reimagine Taipei itself, rebuilding neighbourhoods, designing parks, improving pedestrian routes or proposing new public spaces within a virtual environment.

Collaboration across city departments

To move the idea forward, the mayor has instructed Taipei Metro Recreation to coordinate with the city’s Department of Education, Department for Youth and Department of Urban Development. The aim is to brainstorm concepts that balance playfulness with educational and civic value.

From a travel perspective, such collaborations could result in events that appeal not only to gamers but also to families, students and culturally curious visitors. A virtual challenge to redesign a park, for example, might lead players to visit the real site, learn its history and imagine its future blurring the line between tourism, learning and participation.

A playful future for city breaks

For travellers considering Taipei, the proposal hints at a future where city breaks are less about ticking off landmarks and more about immersion. Wandering from the gondola rides of Maokong to the bright lights near Taipei Arena could become part of a shared game narrative, punctuated by bubble tea stops and street-side snacks.

Even though plans are still being considered and have not moved beyond the feasibility stage, it is obvious which direction Taipei is heading. The city is marketing itself as a place that is in tune with the way tourists, particularly the youth want to know the world: with curiosity, imagination, and a mobile phone. Besides a trip, these gaming-based events might, through their active participation, give guests a story to tell that continues even after the last stage is cleared.