Mr 11: "Paul, mum has been telling me about the payphone tag game you've been playing. It sounds like the most nerd game ever. Is it really just people seeing who can capture the most payphones?"

Me: "Oh no. People also share pictures of their favourite payphones, and talk about payphone history. Today I found one that still had its Yellow Pages, that was very exciting."

Mr 11: "Thanks for confirming it really is the most nerd game ever."

#parenting #payphoneTag

Australia's 'Payphone Tag' Game Is An Excellent Use Of Public Infrastructure

https://fed.brid.gy/r/https://aftermath.site/payphone-tag-australia-telstra/

“ #Australia’s #payphones are an iconic part of the national landscape, even if they’re not as important as they once used to be. However, they’re having a resurgence of late, in part thanks to a new national pastime—the sport of #PayphoneTag!

Created by #AlexAllchin, the game is simple. To play, you first sign up on the website and get your emoji and 5-digit PIN. You then go out and find a payphone, dial the Payphone Tag number, and enter your PIN when prompted. This lets you “capture” the #phone, raising your score in the game. If a phone is already captured, no matter—just head out there, dial the number, and key in your own PIN to steal it. You can also push your score even higher by capturing three #payphones in a triangle on the map to get bonus points.”

#POTS / #payphonetag / #sport / #CTPP / #CaptureThePayphone <https://hackaday.com/2026/04/28/payphone-tag-is-australias-new-national-sport/>

Fun one for Australians:

https://payphonetag.com/

"A real-world territory capture game played on public payphones. Register, get a PIN, find a payphone, call in, and claim it. Build triangles between captured phones to control territory and climb the leaderboard."

(note that pay phones no longer actually involve paying, as they're free to use)

/via the @sizzle #PayphoneTag