Your ship is virtual, but the sharks are real. Real-world data gathered from a network of sensors offers gamers the chance to track actual great whites. Screenshot courtesy of Sharkrunners

Sharkrunners, designed for Discovery Channel’s 20th Anniversary Shark Week, is a persistent game of oceanic exploration and high stakes shark research.

Players take on the role of marine biologists who must outfit their boat, map its path and then ply the oceans in the search for great white sharks, all while keeping an eye on their fuel capacity and monitoring the skill, stamina and compatibility of their crew members.

The game uses real-world telemetry data collected from actual sharks, using sensors and GPS units to provide the position and movement of the sharks in the game.  

Boat movement is in realtime, and if you aren’t logged in when you encounter a shark, you’ll be buzzed with an email or text message that gives you three hours to log on, then three minutes to select your approach technique, collect your data and earn extra funding dollars.

Shark data is provided by Pelagic Research Shark Foundation and Microwave Telemetry.