Kathleen Tuite
ABSTRACT
We are interested in reconstructing real world locations as detailed 3D models, but to achieve this goal, we require a large quantity of photographic data. We designed a game to employ the efforts and digital cameras of everyday people to not only collect this data, but to do so in a fun and effective way. The result is PhotoCity, a game played outdoors with a camera, in which players take photos to capture flags and take over virtual models of real buildings. The game falls into the genres of both games with a purpose (GWAPs) and alternate reality games (ARGs). Each type of game comes with its own inherent challenges, but as a hybrid of both, PhotoCity presented us with a unique combination of obstacles. This paper describes the design decisions made to address these obstacles, and seeks to answer the question: Can games be used to achieve massive data-acquisition tasks when played in the real world, away from standard game consoles? We conclude with a report on player experiences and showcase some 3D reconstructions built by players during gameplay.
- N. Snavely, S. M. Seitz, and R. Szeliski. Photo tourism: Exploring photo collections in 3d. In SIGGRAPH Conference Proceedings, pages 835--846, New York, NY, USA, 2006. ACM Press. Google Scholar
Digital Library
- K. Tuite, N. Snavely, D. Hsiao, A. M. Smith, and Z. Popovic. Reconstructing the world in 3d: Bringing games with a purpose outdoors. In FDG '09: Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Foundations of Digital Games, New York, NY, USA, 2010. ACM Press. Google ScholarDigital Library
Index Terms
- Reconstructing the world in 3D: bringing games with a purpose outdoors
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Reviews
John R Bowditch
Tuite et al. pose the following question: "Can games be used to achieve massive data-acquisition tasks when played in the real world, away from standard consoles__?__" Although many researchers are asking similar questions, this paper approaches the problem in a unique way. The paper covers alternate reality games (ARGs), a relatively new gaming genre. In Tuite et al.'s game PhotoCity , "players take photos to capture flags and take over virtual models of real buildings." PhotoCity is a hybrid ARG because it is designed as a "[game] with a purpose [GWAP]." The paper's groundbreaking research recognizes the importance of point cloud modeling. PhotoCity 's core technology extracts three-dimensional (3D) models from two-dimensional (2D) digital images, using a computer vision system. Although the models have some visible deficiencies, such as low-quality renderings and empty sets in meshes, the advancements made are still noteworthy. Another accomplishment is the successful launch of an iPhone PhotoCity application, which is available on iTunes. Researchers interested in point modeling and ARGs will find this paper insightful. The authors assume that the reader has a fundamental knowledge of point clouds and game design elements; that being said, the supporting references help with this prerequisite. Online Computing Reviews Service
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