Google Maps Getting Gamified on Google+ Next Month

Google Maps is getting game-ified. Thanks to Google+ Games, the search giant in February will launch Google Maps Play Your World, a new game that will let you use the tool for more than just getting directions.

The game, which doesn't yet have an official name, is reminiscent of a little handheld toy you might have played with as a child. When I was growing up, this object was simply a dinky piece of plastic with some kind of maze that you had to guide a ball through to reach a target. Google, however, has translated this idea to your browser.

The Internet company hasn't provided many details about the game, nor has it said exactly when it will roll out. However, a short video (see below) from the Google Maps team shows what it will look like, and it appears that it will be compatible with Android-based devices.

As PCMag's sister site Geek.com noted, the game was inspired by a real-life video (also below) in which two actors played a giant version of the familiar aforementioned game by moving a huge 3D cube. On the cube, the pair guided a blue marble to the desired destination—the Brooklyn Bowl.

Geek also pointed out that the game shows off the capabilities of WebGL, a software library that expands the capabilities of JavaScript in order to create interactive 3D environments on a Web browser.

Last month, that used Street View imagery to create a first-person shooter games.

Google+, the social network Google launched in June, now has an , though Google hasn't confirmed that number. Despite reports that interest in the platform is waning, Experian Hitwise last month said visits to Google+ .