New improvements to the mobile game enhance and expand community contributions to science.
The ocean is vast, mysterious, and full of charismatic critters that look like they belong in a sci-fi movie. But unlike outer space, you don’t need a rocket to explore it—just a mobile device and a sense of wonder!
Enter FathomVerse, a free mobile game that invites everyone with a smartphone or tablet to contribute to science. By playing blissfully productive mini-games and interacting with stunning ocean imagery, gamers partner with researchers to identify ocean animals and train AI. But this is deeper than just entertainment. The team behind FathomVerse is working to address the ocean’s most critical challenges.
Ecosystems are changing faster than ever before and we’re in a race with climate change to document and monitor life in the ocean. It is estimated that 30 to 60% of life in the ocean is still unknown to science. To reach a sustainable future for our ocean, we need to close these knowledge gaps, because we can’t protect what we don’t understand. When you pick up your phone to play FathomVerse, you’ve replaced scrolling with ocean exploring, diving below the surface to help scientists learn more about our blue planet. Together, we can speed up breakthroughs in science and discover all life in the ocean.
Ocean science for everyone
“There are many people out there who are deeply concerned about climate change but are unsure how to make a difference. With FathomVerse, we aim to provide a tangible way for climate-conscious individuals to contribute to ocean research and expand our collective knowledge about the ocean,” explains Kakani Katija, FathomVerse Lead and Principal Engineer at MBARI. Katija’s team of experts in AI, software engineering, taxonomy, and game design created FathomVerse to address a critical bottleneck: there are not enough marine biology experts available to review the thousands of hours of underwater video data collected by researchers and robots.
FathomVerse transforms data analysis into an engaging, fun experience. In the "Pulse" and "Illuminate" mini-games, players label ocean animals in real underwater images, guided by identification resources and feedback systems that reward thoroughness and accuracy. A collaborative approach involves multiple players reviewing the same images, with their collective identifications feeding into a sophisticated validation process. This carefully curated data ultimately helps researchers train and refine machine learning algorithms that can support various applications, including biodiversity monitoring, species discovery, and behavioral analysis.
The Bioinspiration Lab from MBARI uses remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) equipped with high-definition cameras and AI models to autonomously track organisms. This technology enables the ROV to record video of a single animal over an extended period, facilitating the study of its movement and behavior. Images (left to right): Lilli Carlsen © 2024 MBARI, Joost Daniels © 2016 MBARI
Results for the ocean
Since its launch on May 1, 2024, FathomVerse has grown into a global phenomenon with over 30,000 players from 173 countries. These gamers—known as “FathomNauts”—have formed a community connected by curiosity about the ocean. Among them, 91 dedicated players have reached the game’s highest level, earning the title “Denizen of the Deep”.
FathomVerse helps connect marine research across different organizations. The game incorporates data from leading research institutions including MBARI, Schmidt Ocean Institute, NOAA, Ocean Exploration Trust, Ocean Networks Canada, and the Ocean Observatories Initiative funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation. At any given time, between 100,000 and 200,000 images are being served to players, and this number is expected to grow as more data is contributed and more players dive into the game. In less than a year, FathomNauts have generated more than 15 million annotations and identified animals in more than 80,000 new images. The collective efforts of FathomVerse players around the world are enhancing the AI models that researchers rely upon to deepen our understanding of marine ecosystems. The FathomVerse team looks forward to welcoming more ocean enthusiasts with the release of FathomVerse 2.0.
Improving and Expanding FathomVerse
The FathomVerse team has diligently gathered player feedback through surveys, reviews, and community discussions on Discord to improve and expand the game experience since launching version 1.0 in May 2024. Using this information, the FathomVerse team along with &ranj Serious Games based in the Netherlands, has worked on developing new features since September 2024. FathomVerse 2.0 represents a comprehensive enhancement focused on three strategic areas: strengthening player engagement, fostering community connections, and expanding scientific contributions.
Strengthening Player Engagement
To improve player retention, the team has implemented several key features designed to both welcome newcomers and reward consistent participation. The streamlined onboarding process guides new players through game mechanics more intuitively, allowing them to begin contributing meaningful scientific data faster. Badges and additional awards celebrate players’ milestone accomplishments, providing acknowledgment of their scientific contributions and encouraging continued engagement. The new Player Dashboard offers detailed analytics about individual contributions, allowing FathomNauts to monitor their scientific impact and performance metrics over time.
Fostering Community Connections
Recognizing that social connections enhance player experience, FathomVerse 2.0 introduces several community-building mechanisms. An in-app messaging system enables the FathomVerse team to share updates, progress, and community achievements directly with players. New social sharing capabilities allow players to share their most fascinating discoveries with friends and family through a visually appealing collectible card format, reminiscent of trading cards. Monthly quests unite the FathomVerse community around shared objectives, fostering a sense of collective purpose and teamwork.
Expanding Scientific Contributions
To generate more diverse and valuable scientific data, FathomVerse 2.0 introduces new interactive methods for data analysis. The new “Identify” mini-game allows players to label ocean animals faster by focusing exclusively on classification tasks. In the “Bound” mini-game, players draw bounding boxes around animals, directly training AI models to detect objects within complex underwater scenes. These enhancements work together to create a more captivating, seamless player experience while simultaneously increasing the quantity and diversity of scientific data generated.
FathomVerse 2.0 features an expanded animal library, enhanced user interface interactions, and a new Bound mini-game designed to create localization data. Images: MBARI © 2025
Turning screen time into ocean action
FathomVerse offers a simple yet powerful way for anyone anywhere to contribute to ocean science. Instead of doom scrolling, players can partner with scientists to improve AI models and study ocean animals as climate change rapidly transforms marine ecosystems. Beyond generating valuable data, FathomVerse has built a global community of ocean enthusiasts who develop genuine connections with ocean life through interactive experiences with underwater imagery. This heightened ocean empathy transforms passive concern into meaningful action, proving that anyone with a mobile device can participate in safeguarding our blue planet for generations to come. Join us today and become part of the mission to discover all life in our ocean!
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Contact us: fathomverse@mbari.org
Learn more: www.fathomverse.game
About FathomVerse
FathomVerse aims to increase our capacity to measure and monitor marine life in a changing ocean. This free mobile game offers an interactive community science experience where players engage with scientific images collected by researchers around the world. By tapping into our collective curiosity, FathomVerse seeks to transform ocean exploration by engaging a community of passionate ocean enthusiasts to work alongside researchers.
