Have you ever told or been told, “Stop playing those video games and get outside and enjoy some nature”? Gaming inside and exploring outside are two opposites that have been brought together by a research project called Citizen Sort. Students and researchers from Northeastern and Syracuse Universities, in the fields of information science, human-computer interaction (HCI), computer science, and the visual arts, created this website that includes different games that anyone can play to help advance research through classification of plants, animals, and insects.
You can earn points and compete against others as you unlock secrets, identify animals on webcams, and help scientists in valuable research. All the training you need is provided for you on the website through practice games.
The animated fantasy game, Forgotten Island, has mystery and adventure twists and turns, while Living Links tests your eye for detail in identifying animals from webcam video, comparing it to Al, the computer’s, identification, and advancing in levels as you successfully complete tasks.
So, have your video game and nature study, too! Use your gaming skills all in the name of science!