Play and exploration in image collections: A Flickr-based study

What kind of games do people play with digital images? To probe this question, we examine image-based gaming activity as exercised in the Flickr photo sharing system. Noticeably, a surprising number of user-moderated games are being played within the structure of Flickr groups. We provide an assessment of this activity and a first categorization of the exact types of games played: Recurrent themes are observed and discussed. Furthermore, we examine gaming activity in the scope of collection exploration, looking for opportunities that may stimulate or engage the player to explore an image collection. Being interested in playful interactions with images and in games as a platform for exploration, we question if the games played can support collection exploration. Potentially promising ideas as derived from the current Flickr gaming landscape are grouped, reported and discussed.