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Games With A Purpose Help With Tasks That Tax Computers

Posted by timothy on from the because-computers-are-dum dept.

Falkkin writes "Luis von Ahn and his team at Carnegie Mellon University have launched GWAP, a new web site for 'Games With A Purpose.' By playing these online games, humans help provide data for problems that are hard for computers to solve, such as computer vision and sound classification. Slashdot has previously covered other human computation projects by Dr. von Ahn, including the ESP Game and reCAPTCHA. The new web site contains a re-vamping of the ESP Game as well as four completely new games." (Falkkin also points to an AP story on GWAP and to coverage at the BBC.)

6 of 61 comments (clear)

  1. All games have a purpose by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Entertainment is a purpose.

  2. I was going to give it a try.... by cstdenis · · Score: 4, Informative

    I was going to give it a try, but it requires registration and I really just can't be bothered to register.

    --
    1984 was not supposed to be an instruction manual.
  3. Everyone? benefits by dvice_null · · Score: 4, Interesting

    "Everyone benefits! Now a search engine will have a better idea of what's in those images."

    What search engine? Is the information I provide to them free for anyone to use, or is it just for them?

    1. Re:Everyone? benefits by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

      Says here that "All data we collect from the new site will be freely and publicly available"

  4. Everyone benefits? by FrozenFOXX · · Score: 5, Funny

    "You play the games. Computers get smarter. Everyone benefits!"

    Yeah, that's EXACTLY the kind of line I'd expect Skynet to use.

    --
    "Just a fox, a whisper."
  5. shoulda said that as AC by Scrameustache · · Score: 4, Funny

    I really just can't be bothered to register. Said cstdenis, login number 1118589.
    --

    You can't take the sky from me...