Asynchronous Dynamic Massively Co-Operative Gameplay

I like zombies. 

I like video games.

As such, I always seem to be on the lookout for new zombie games, console and web-based, that go beyond your typical first person shooter à la Resident Evil, Left 4 Dead, Days 2 Die, etc.

And I've found two recently that tickle my fancy.

One is die2nite, a community-oriented zombie survival game based on the web. A town is built in a desert, surrounded by zombies which attack every night, and it is left up to the residents (40 per town) to scavenge, build, and survive. Water kills zombies in this game and, as you might imagine, water is hard to find in a desert. So the players have to construct wells and plumbing, as well as defense items, in order to last more than a week.

It's simple and addictive.

And then there's Please Stay Calm, which I just found this evening and got so excited about I had to post on GIST. (So excited that I submitted before I finished my post...)

Please Stay Calm is a social mobile phone game based on location. From what I can tell (since it hasn't been released yet) different locations that you visit regularly, in your average day, will be assaulted by zombies. You, with other people in your area, will have to defend and fight zombies--through which you can secure items, weapons, and points to level up. 

From their site:

1. Location is key, it’s not about geography, it’s about people’s inherent affinity to their favorite spots. While the game can be played from your office, players will derive more value from moving around. We aim to be able to direct players to specific locations for special events.
2. A venue is a natural opportunity to drive organic social team play without the usual headaches involve with explicit teamwork. We call this asynchronous dynamic massively co-operative gameplay.
3. Our game integrates existing social graph information into the game narrative. Since the game fiction is layered on top of the real world, people will immediately feel like they are playing in a vibrant active game world even if few people are actually playing in their area.

Immersive alternate reality, naturally occurring co-op, and zombies?

Yes please.

But mostly, I wonder how this comes into play for GIST. Games are changing, in revolutionary ways, and they're changing us while they're at it. Social, co-operative gameplay that comes in the palm of your hand, where you can literally interact with other players in the street, and immerse yourself in a narrative that will follow you where you go?

Totally doing my next paper on this.