Linking real world activities with a parallel reality game

A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing computer-executable instructions which when executed by one or more computer processors cause the one or more computer processors to perform operations comprising:

• hosting, at a game server, a parallel reality game, the parallel reality game having a virtual world with a geography that parallels at least a portion of the geography of the real world such that players can navigate the virtual world by moving to different locations in the real world;
• transmitting, by the game server to a client device of a player of the parallel reality game, game data indicating that a virtual element is at a virtual location in the virtual world that corresponds to a first location in the real world, the client device located at a second location in the real world different than the first location;
• receiving, by the game server, position information of the client device as the player travels from the second location to the first location to perform a game objective of the parallel reality game;
• responsive to the player interacting with the virtual element, receiving, from the client device, a picture captured by the player via the client device;
• creating an assembled media item by combining the received picture with at least one additional picture captured by another player at the first location;
• updating, in a game database of the parallel reality game, game data associated with the virtual element at the virtual location corresponding to the first location in the real world to include the assembled media item;
• and
• providing, by the game server to a second client device of a second player of the parallel reality game, the updated data about the virtual element of the virtual world.