01 May 2007See also here.Instead of taking potshots at bad guys, gamers are being encouraged to shoot finches.
In an online game created at the University of California, Berkeley, players take control of a webcam overlooking Sutro Forest in San Francisco to snap photos of birds (http://cone.berkeley.edu).
You earn points for each bird you snap, with extra points awarded for shots of rare species.
Points are also awarded for identifying the birds.
Software determines where the camera should point, according to the number of people wanting to look in each direction.
Players with higher scores earn greater control over the camera.
“This is a prototype for cameras that would go in more remote places, to allow scientists and the public to share access to nature,” says Ken Goldberg, the project’s creator.
Another birding video game: here.
