All this, without having to leave the comfort of your own home.
A new mobile game, “Unseen Empire,” turns one of the largest-ever wildlife camera trap studies into a playable experience. The idea is that by letting players take on the role of a researcher in a real scientific study, the game helps people to better understand conservation science.
Gautam Shah, the American founder of Kenya-based Internet of Elephants, the company behind “Unseen Empire,” believes conservation awareness campaigns have failed to keep up with the times and need to modernize.
After 20 years as an IT consultant, Shah left his job in 2013 and combined his professional background with his passion for wildlife. Internet of Elephants creates games and digital experiences based on scientific research, that aim to engage people who may not have a previous interest in wildlife conservation.
6 million photographs
Unseen Empire is based on an ongoing, decade-long camera trap study by professor David Macdonald and his team at the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU) at the University of Oxford.
The study has captured 6 million camera trap photographs — including more than 250 animal species — to understand the clouded leopard’s habitat. The research tries to understand how biodiversity conservation and human development might influence environmental policy.
Raising awareness
The hope is that games such as Unseen Empire can provide new ways for people to engage with endangered animals. “If you don’t have any encounter or experience with elements of nature, then what motivation can you have to take a personal interest in it?” says Macdonald. “I think that detail of understanding brings a greater investment in wanting to see a good outcome.”
The game uses real photographs from the study and allows players to identify species within this rapidly degrading environment. “Of course, everyone loves gorgeous photography but there’s something just incredibly raw and real about capturing these animal’s entirely candid moments,” says Shah.
Shah hopes to expand the game to include wildlife camera trap research from around the world.
While the game is free and does not generate revenue or donations (its development was funded through a grant), Shah hopes it will cultivate awareness and encourage people to make consumer choices that are better for the environment. In the long-term, he hopes it will encourage people to donate to conservation groups and by increasing public awareness, influence policy.
“I would like to think that engagement with this game … will lead to a feeling of value, which will affect how they think about nature,” says Macdonald. “So, in that sense, we’d like to be part of a revolution on how people view the role of humanity, alongside the wider environment.”