Custom software

Sharkrunners, designed for the 20th anniversary of the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, is an online role-playing game about oceanic exploration and research with a twist: it incorporates telemetry data from real sharks tagged with GPS transponders. At the start of the game, players align themselves with a specific research agenda, choose a crew, and pick a home port. They take control of fictional research vessels with the goal of encountering sharks, using advanced observation techniques to gather high-quality data and earning more funding for research; the sharks move in real time, and the research vessels move at a true-to-life pace. Players receive e-mail/text alerts when their vessels are within range of an encounter, and they can try one of a series of approach techniques, each carrying risks and payoffs. This ongoing game is enriched by a website and online forum, where players can discuss strategy, honor the holders of fund-raising records, review shark news and research, and become part of a global community committed to learning about and preserving the species.