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Massively Multiplayer Online Birdwatching Game

Posted by Zonk on from the more-learning-is-fun dept.

eldavojohn writes "The shots you take in CONE Sutro Forest don't come from shotguns or sniper rifles. In the game, players manipulate remote control cameras, taking pictures of birds and classifying them. It starts next week with the premise being that the more birds you take pictures of and classify correctly, the more points you get. It's more of an experiment in collaborative technology than a game ... but if you can get your users to do work for you and have fun at the same time, you might have something big."

63 comments

  1. But the question is... by therufus · · Score: 2, Funny

    How do we hack it so it's 'fun'???? Are there script kiddies out there willing to put a Teradactyl in there?

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    1. Re:But the question is... by king-manic · · Score: 1

      This is one game where a good bot would be more then welcome.

      --
      "There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy."
  2. Oh FFS by GFree · · Score: 1

    So many people are getting into the MMO craze. It's just too much!

    What's next, an MMOS game? (Massively Multiplayer Online Sex)

    Now that I think of it... (ponders)

    1. Re:Oh FFS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Obviously you haven't been playing Second Life.

    2. Re:Oh FFS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There are already a few of those that have been in development, I believe Red Light Center would be the largest.

    3. Re:Oh FFS by pionzypher · · Score: 1

      Ah, you missed the boat. There already is one .

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      I'll believe in corporations having personhood when Texas executes one... - advocate_one
    4. Re:Oh FFS by john+g+the+4th · · Score: 1

      I wonder how long it will be before people find out where the cameras are and start posing naked in front of them.

    5. Re:Oh FFS by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Everyone is citing Second Life as a MMOS but seriously, there already are many [other] MMOs dedicated specifically to sex.

    6. Re:Oh FFS by Zeussy · · Score: 1

      There is atleast one, just google Adult MMO, or Adult Fantasy MMO. Looks like pure quality, honest! Sociolotron

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    7. Re:Oh FFS by renegadesx · · Score: 0

      Gives me an idea... World of Leisure Suit Larry!!!

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    8. Re:Oh FFS by Tildeedy · · Score: 1

      haha, Now thats a game I would look forward to, fond memories playing LSL on my Amiga

    9. Re:Oh FFS by Teh+Noob+Cheese · · Score: 1

      Of course we all want to play LSL online that would be a BIG hit.(not) MMOsex, I do not think so. That was supposed to be funny I think, hehe.

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      I am teh(the) noob(not noob) cheese(human).
  3. I heard of a similar game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It was to be released for Wii. "Feeding the Pigeons" or something like that.

  4. what's next? by newsdee · · Score: 1

    What's next... an MMORPG where you have to spot trains?

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    The ENIAC Demo Competition
    1. Re:what's next? by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 4, Funny

      What's next... an MMORPG where you have to spot trains?

      No no, the next cool thing will be an MMORPG where you can play an MMORPG. Something called Third Life for example, just in case you're bored with your ordinary, everyday second-life and want to escape plain virtual reality...

      --
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    2. Re:what's next? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Shut up, that sounds like fun. Patent pending, patent pending...

    3. Re:what's next? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You've already been beaten to the moneybag on that one. It's called ".hack"

    4. Re:what's next? by plasmacutter · · Score: 1

      no.. the next one will be set in the period before the superbowl, and your task is to measure the growth of the astroturf.

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      VLC FOR MAC IS DYING! IF YOU DEVELOP, PLEASE SAVE IT!!
    5. Re:what's next? by Maserati · · Score: 1

      Actually, the bird watching thing seems to be "next". The trainspotting sim is already live.

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      Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1992-1951
    6. Re:what's next? by dajak · · Score: 1

      The next big thing is sitting behind security cams and play "click on the criminal": it's the perfect prolefeed. As you gather points (in an ESP-game style fashion) you level up: 1) police unit despatched immediately without verification to arrest criminal, 2) prosecution started immediately without verification, 3) criminal locked up without trial.

    7. Re:what's next? by wolfing · · Score: 1

      Actually, what you don't know is that you and me are actually characters played by some people. This universe is another universe's MMO. I wish it didn't have permadeath though, that kinda blows. I think I'm lvl 30/50 right now, grinding so I can buy a house + 1, the apartment + 1 I've been using for the last 10 levels is kinda obsolete now. I wonder what we'll get in the next expansion :)

  5. Taking pictures of birds? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    April foo--er...wait a minute...

  6. I Want an M(M(MMORPG)RPG)RPG by craznar · · Score: 1

    In the Spirit of GNU, I'd like an online game where stacks of poeople get together online and log onto online games where they play MMORPGs.

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    1. Re:I Want an M(M(MMORPG)RPG)RPG by PineGreen · · Score: 1

      http://xkcd.com/c244.html

  7. Can I by SnarfQuest · · Score: 1

    Can I run around, spooking the birds out of the trees, so they won't sit still long enough to be photo'd?

    If so, will there be anyone actually taking pictures instead of spooking the birds?

    --
    Who would win this election: Andrew Weiner vs Andrew Weiner's weiner.
    1. Re:Can I by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can I run around, spooking the birds out of the trees, so they won't sit still long enough to be photo'd?

      If so, will there be anyone actually taking pictures instead of spooking the birds?

      Hey look, it's a greater-spotted moron! I'll add it to the shots of the lesser-spotted geek, the tufted punk and the bald unwashed programmer!

    2. Re:Can I by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Can I run around, spooking the birds out of the trees, so they won't sit still long enough to be photo'd?
      Sir, I give you the bird.
  8. Gimme the remote! by Crouty · · Score: 1

    I figure the fun in this "game" highly depends on how much you are able to actually control a camera to take a look at the piece of environment you want to observe. So what will the user-to-camera ratio be like? 1,000?

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  9. Whoosh by Solra+Bizna · · Score: 5, Informative

    Something all the posters above me seem to have missed is that these are not virtual cameras.

    (I RTFA.)

    -:sigma.SB

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    THERE IS ANOTHER SYSTEM
    1. Re:Whoosh by 6Yankee · · Score: 1

      That does make therufus' suggestion of hacking a pterodactyl in significantly easier (assuming you live nearby).

    2. Re:Whoosh by SnowZero · · Score: 1

      Yeah, now all you need is a pterodactyl.

  10. Collaborative cheating? by 6Yankee · · Score: 3, Insightful

    From TFA: Players can see who else is logged on and try to beat them to the best pictures. The system waits until the photo is classified consistently by at least two players, and assigns points according to how rare the bird is. Players with higher scores get more influence over where the video camera is positioned.

    So if a friend and I both classify a common sparrow as a bald eagle or something, we both get a too-high score and increased priority on the camera? Lather, rinse, repeat.

    Hmmmm.

  11. NIce idea by IceFox · · Score: 1

    Anytime you can take a problem that is hard for a computer and easy for a human and make a successful game out of it you have a winner. I for one wish them the best of luck. check out google image labeler for another example of this. Amazon with their mechanical Turk went in the other direction, trying to pay you 1 cent (or something small) for each thing you. Check out this entertaining video on Human computation presented by the guy who originally came up with the google image game.

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  12. And I tag thee Anorak by oggiejnr · · Score: 1

    Although that might be a bit rich coming from someone posting on slashdot

  13. Seems like a strange concept by MollyB · · Score: 1

    As I am not a gamer, what strikes me as peculiar is that so many folks find this idea more appealing than the simple act of going outside (it is Spring, y'know) and seeing the real deal. I live in Vermont, so I have more birds than an urban dweller, but playing competitively against strangers on a computer or game console over the 'net seems to me to be the opposite pleasure than one derives from the sight, sound, and aroma of the season. You also have the pleasure of identifying the insect that just feasted on your person, but I digress...

    1. Re:Seems like a strange concept by hey! · · Score: 1

      Other people find it hard to believe people enjoy a game where you run around shooting people, unless you are the kind of person who would like doing it for real. Since that kind of person is rare, then it is only a short logical misstep to conclude that games make you that way.

      I'd go so far as to say that designing a game around its appeal to gun owners is not a particularly winning proposition -- much less designing one around its appeal to homicidal psychopaths. The market segment is too small. The reason for the popularity of shooters is that it appeals to our mythic consciousness, not our practical habits. Shock value also has some marketing appeal, but it is not the appeal of actually playing, and the game has to deliver engrossing game play to succeed. I'm not a gamer, but I have gamers in my family, so I understand while I find GTA a bit ... disgusting ... it is played as a series of fast paced tactical and strategic problems, not fundamentally different from less offensively packaged Nintendo fare. The reason the series is a hit is that it is rewarding to play.

      Now birding. Birding does not have a mythic, universal psychological appeal. It's appeal is practical: it's a healthy, interesting hobby that gets you out of doors and has various dimensions of geekery that appeal to various personality profiles, from the equipment freak to the person obsessed with amassing the longest life list. So I imagine the initial appeal (apart from a few curious gamers) will be to birders. But there are lots and lots of birders. Enough to get a decent word of mouth rolling pretty quickly if the game is any good.

      I think the make or break aspect of the game is how much fun it is. It's unique enough that it doesn't have to worry about standing out among other blood drenched sci-fi or fantasy games.

      If you are birder, you are a rare one if you are in the field every day. Nor is it it easy to take a trip to the Amazon or some migratory bird path deep in Asia -- which are easy to do virtually. If the game is moderately fun, and especially if it has some training value (the observation skills of birders are amazing), then it could be quite successful.

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    2. Re:Seems like a strange concept by Goaway · · Score: 1

      The observation skills of birders may be amazing, but the reading skills of Slashdotters, not so much.

  14. It's only massively multiplayer ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    if there's actually players. Sheesh, let's slap the "MMOG" title on to any multi-player online game with more than ten people.

  15. CAN'T WAIT! by DarkLegacy · · Score: 1
    Oh man, I can't imagine what fun it'll be walking around in an MMO taking photographs of birds.

    :rolleyes:

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    127.0.0.1
    1. Re:CAN'T WAIT! by Goaway · · Score: 1

      I guess it amuses you about as much as reading and understanding Slashdot articles.

  16. How to get others to do your work for free by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Call it a Massively Multiplayer Online Game.

  17. Substitution by DavidWeight · · Score: 1

    I wonder how long until some adds a gun onto the same system. Hunting in the living room...

    1. Re:Substitution by budword · · Score: 1

      They are alreading doing this. Charging for it even. Some duffus stuck a gun on a motorized tripod sort of deal, added networking, and started to sell time for it over the net. I believe whatever state he was in (in the USA) passed a law. I had thought it was Texas, but now that I think on it, I don't believe Texas would have passed a law against it, must have been Montana or Wyoming.

    2. Re:Substitution by yams69 · · Score: 1

      The fellow you're thinking of is John Lockwood of San Antonio, Texas. See http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM .20070219.wnethunt0219/BNStory/Technology/home.

  18. what's next?-"/." online. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You do realize that slashdot is a MMORPG, were you get to play a newbie (are you new her?), a sarcastic bastard, a glib know-it-all, even a GNAA troll, in various multiblinding colored environments.

  19. Bond. James Bond. by tepples · · Score: 1

    Will some copycat try to make a birdwatching game with the James Bond name?

  20. Oh yeah? Well you ain't seen nothing yet... by gd23ka · · Score: 1

    Check out these massive hot multiplayer girlwatching games instead.
    To get on the game servers just google for xxx and then follow the
    links.

  21. Matrix in a matrix by tepples · · Score: 2, Informative

    If you have time to play the matrix within the matrix, like the NES games inside Animal Crossing Population Growing for GameCube, then you probably need to get a first life.

  22. Mind numbing boredom sells! by Cathoderoytube · · Score: 1

    Mind numbing boredom is what sells games. I hear the next World of Warcraft expansion will introduce 'watching paint dry' as a new profession.

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    I have nothing compelling to say
    1. Re:Mind numbing boredom sells! by Drew+McKinney · · Score: 1

      Mind numbing boredom is what sells games. I hear the next World of Warcraft expansion will introduce 'watching paint dry' as a new profession.

      Watching Paint Dry: Huck Finn's Adventure was a truly revolutionary game as a single player. I'm pretty interested to see what they do in the multiplayer version.

  23. Or better yet... by Cyno01 · · Score: 1

    An MMO for me to watch my sims play!

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    "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
  24. Trying to identify birds via webcam... by thewiz · · Score: 1

    is for the birds.

    Uh... wait a minute...

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    If "disco" means "I learn" in Latin, does "discothèque" mean "I learn technology"?
  25. Wow by Pluvius · · Score: 1

    That actually sounds less boring than your average MMOG.

    Rob

  26. This will compete with some other MMORPG's - by voxel · · Score: 1

    Mainly, looks like World of Warcraft finally has some competition, as I'm sure this Bird Watching MMO (BWMMO) probably requires slightly more skill than WoW does.

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    Modesty is one of life's greatest attributes
  27. YETI@Home by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Does this remind anyone of the SETI@Home parody YETI@Home, where people's webcams aimed at their backyards would help people find bigfoot?

  28. Nothing to see here... by Endo13 · · Score: 1

    If you are birder, you are a rare one if you are in the field every day. Nor is it it easy to take a trip to the Amazon or some migratory bird path deep in Asia -- which are easy to do virtually. If the game is moderately fun, and especially if it has some training value (the observation skills of birders are amazing), then it could be quite successful. And even if I WAS a birder who didn't get out every day, I'm not so sure I'd be wasting my time with this. From what I can tell, this is one camera in San Fransico on the guy's back deck.

    From TFA:

    The new online game, to be launched Monday, April 23, will allow players to earn points by taking live photos using a remotely controllable robotic video camera and classifying the wild birds they see.

    Craig Newmark, founder and customer service representative of craigslist, one of the most popular online communities in the country, is hosting the robotic video camera project from the back deck of his home, which overlooks Sutro Forest in San Francisco. Yep, sure sounds Massively Multiplayer to me. I wonder how long it will take for them to upgrade their hardware to eliminate the login queue...
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  29. Interesting Idea by UtmostCathode · · Score: 2, Insightful
    I am willing to bet this game will be more successful than you think. I can really see my Mother participating in this.

    Instead of being limited to viewing local birds and manually reporting them to online databases that track species locations, she can now view them through several cameras located in unique areas while still helping bird societies by reporting them.

    I think some of you should evaluate exactly what it is you are doing when you play your 'fun' MMOs - I think you will find that a lot of it is spent standing around doing nothing.

  30. Oblig., sorry. by cosinezero · · Score: 1

    In Soviet Russia, birds watch you

    1. Re:Oblig., sorry. by 1337W422102 · · Score: 1

      Someone better mod that up. "In Soviet Union, camera-controlling bird-classifying game plays you." Actually, that last line I typed sounds striking similar to the situation at hand...

  31. Ob Futurama by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Virtual Virtual Skee-Ball -- so real you'll swear you're playing Virtual Skee-Ball!

  32. Inner City Kids by ushering05401 · · Score: 1

    Should be self explanatory. This could be a start to addressing the 'nature gap.'

    I know some educators/avid-birdwatchers who will be very interested in this technology.

    I have lived in both the L.A. & NYC urban environments. Exposure to nature for many people in those areas is non-existent. Not that we should *force* nature on anyone, but there is a correlation between income & ability to escape the noise/stresses of urban life.

    This book has been hot with educators & experimental children's museum consultants:

    link: http://www.amazon.com/Last-Child-Woods-Children-Na ture-Deficit/dp/1565125223/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-480 2758-1879040?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1177355249&sr=8-1

    Regards.

  33. Huh? by Mewizkuit · · Score: 1

    This reminds me vagely of Pokémon Snap for N64...