photo by amit gupta [flickr].

Memo to Seattle bars, cafes, and restaurants. Foursquare, the enhanced successor to Dodgeball has turned going out into an even more fun game by awarding weekly leaderboard points, conferring achievement badges, and crowning “mayors” of a venue’s most frequent offenders. Along the way, users can share insider tips and post to-do lists to add a sense of play to their city explorations. In addition to adding a lightly competitive edge to your friendly neighborhood nightlife, it’s also a de facto way for fans to promote their favorite places among their circles their friends.

Forward-looking New York — and now now San Francisco (see above) — venues have stepped up to the plate and are treating their mayors and ardent fans to little perks just for dropping in. It’s time for Seattle’s finest to hop on this trend ASAP. We’re a tech-friendly city; so let’s be on the front end of this trend. In these troubled economic times, we need every possible excuse for going out.

(any local establishments already onboard? let us know! and ping foursquare while you’re at it. [via foursquare.tumblr.com] )