STRAYLIFE

Out of one of my RSS feeds jumped a website called Games With A Purpose, which looked to be worth a visit. I’m always sceptical about how ‘meaningful’ games will look and feel, but the GWAP web interface is shiny and cute so at least we’re off to a good start.

GWAP’s motto is, quite literally, to make “games with a purpose” – in this case, using 5 simple (yet strangely addictive) games to train computers to ‘solve problems’ in a similar way to how we humans do it.

There are five games currently available which are all designed to teach computers to be smarter – ‘human smarter’. Initially this seems like it might be a bit of a chore. The games vary between having to choose between images, listen to audio or describe words, but after a short sign up, I am a level 1 gwapling and ready to play.

Initially, and as always, I am hesitant about playing with other people online. I still feel quite uncomfortable about that. But GWAP overcomes this by automatically pairing you with another person online as if you were just waiting for the game to load. You simply select to play, and they will match you with someone else who is ready to play. You don’t need to know their name, where they live, or what elf costume they are wearing.

I tried ‘Verbosity’ first – a game which requires you to take turns in both describing and guessing a random word with a partner. You have 4 minutes to guess and describe as many words as you can, each word being worth a predetermined amount of points. If you get it right as a team, you both get rewarded with points, and the system stores your responses for future use. The time limit adds a sense of urgency, and it is self-moderating as it is in the best interest of the team not to cheat. The other games follow much the same pattern – you play with a partner to gain points by trying to communicate with each other using drawing, sound, key words and so on.

In a few plays I had levelled up to a ‘gwappie’, and I find myself surprisingly addicted. What is effectively a glorified data entry system becomes an interesting challenge with a game wrapper around it. And while we play to score points and challenge our knowledge, the data is incredibly useful to make search engines more effective and accurate, ultimately better for everyone.

GWAP shows that using a simple game mechanic with a clean, quirky style can make even the most mundane of tasks enjoyable. Couple that with accessibility to everyone, and you have a great wee example of meaningful play.

Straylight will be attending the AnimfxNZ Conference held at the Wellington Convention Centre from the 14th – 16th of November 2008. The conference theme is ‘where digital creative convergence begins’, and some of the best Animation, VFX, Games and Digital Film speakers will be in attendance.

Visit our booth to demo 3 of our games, including a first time look at our brand new title. See you there!