Phetch is an image search game with a charitable cause. The purpose of the game is to have one player, the “Describer” describes an image selected by Phetch to the other players.
Using whatever words you choose, explain what you see to the 2-4 “Seekers”. The seekers then use Phetch’s image search bar to enter in your keywords to produce images that might correspond to the Describer’s description. Choose the photo you think best matches the description, and if you’re right, you win and earn 100 points for the round, and will become the next Describer. Describers win 200 points for successfully describing an image and producing a positive answer from one of the seekers.You can also pass if you’re really stumped, but it will cost you 5 points, and guessing incorrectly will cost you 10 points. You may be wondering what the point of this game is, and that’s where the philanthropic motive comes into play; your tags and keywords for each image you describe will help visually impaired people to better navigate the net. To learn more about this cause, check out the “Learn more” option on the right hand side of the Phetch site.
Peekaboom.org In Their Own Words
“One of the players is the describer and the others are seekers. Only the describer can see the hidden image and has to help the seekers find it by giving them descriptions”.
Why Peekaboom.org It Might Be A Killer
Phtech is interesting to play AND it’s for a good cause. Images are interesting and range from easy to pretty difficult (from a popular album cover to construction of the Hoover Dam).
Some Questions About Peekaboom.org
The images are often too small for you to be able to accurately describe them. Also, you can’t see the images that users are guessing; it would be fun to see the incorrect responses, I think. How does Phetch keep track of which keywords are useful to seekers and which aren’t? Wouldn’t incorrect responses by equally important in helping the visually impaired to better navigate the net? It’s unclear exactly how Phtech’s filtering system contributes to this cause. 





