The Research Hunt

The Research Hunt:

The Research Hunt is based on the old Atari game duck hunt.  The objective of the original game was to shoot ducks that would be flushed out of the grass by the attending hunting dog. The score would be based on the amount of ducks shot down. The research version has replaced the ducks with popular research search engine websites images. In this rendition of the duck hunt which is called research hunt the objective is to shoot at the research website images to score research points. Showing that searching for research data, journals, and articles is actually a hunt for information and knowledge. When the player shoots and the targets are missed the hunting dog, as in the original game, will pop out and have a good laugh at the player’s expense.

Source Summary

The sources that were acquired were on game theory research engines and the actual duck hunt game. Duck Hunt was a game developed by Nintendo in 1984 for use with the Nintendo Entertainment System. The game has a simple objective, shoot the ducks as they appear with the light gun included in the game system. As the level of difficulty goes up the ducks flight patterns become more erratic making the challenge increase…  Another addition was the hunting dog that became an icon in later years as the most annoying game companion. The game has continued as an online flash game in recent years and can be played from the computer.

Game Theory optimization In the SEO blog by William Martinez in 2009 wrote how game theory plays into searching for quality links and the quality of content on the web. In relation to what Research Hunt was designed to do the key factor is the search engines. Martinez describes the links and sites like males and females and how they interact. If a site or link assigned as a female gives up information too quickly that site may be one for quantity not quality. A male assigned site or link is usually the search engine seeking the information. With the idea that make will seek female with the game theory application the harder to get female site will yield the better quality information and content.

Research engines sometimes Google isn’t enough. This article by Sarah Perez deal with how Google is basically for casual searches and a different type of search engine is tailor made for those needing to delve into heavy research. This article centers on one particular type of research engine but is a model for seeking specific research engines to gain the results needed.

How research as informed the proposal

Developing the concept of the game was found to be an entertaining solution to showing how research can be more than a difficult trial and search. Most research is seen as detailed work that can be unfulfilling and frustrating in the process especially to those inexperienced in using the process. The Game research Hunt is a way that would make the process more than just another search in the dark. Looking at the various sources it was viewed as relatively easy to put the process together. Educating people thru games is an easy way to gain knowledge and to remember.

 

Description of the Game

The Research Hunt is a game that places you as the researcher hunting for information. The interface is an updated version of the old Atari game “Duck Hunt”. As the game starts your research assistant the hunting dog will sniff around for potent research sites. Soon he will jump into the deep grass of the web. As the assistant rouses the research sites they will come out of the grass into the light.  The researcher then shoots the icon of the different specialty research engines for points. As the levels get higher the research icons will give more erratic flight making the research more challenging to acquire. If the researcher misses a shot on a research icon then the assistant will pop out of the grass and laugh at their mistake. Once you reach the top score you will see how effective your research shooting ability is. This game is to help expose those interested in the different research engines that are available out there for serious detailed research work. Giving a brief history about the company behind the search engine and what it is about. Many are lulled into thinking that Google is the primary search engine of choice. Google is the primary engine of choice for the casual internet search. To search for detailed work in the specific area that is needed a research engine will be required.