Sharkrunners, developed by area/code for the Discovery Channel, is a persistent online role playing game using telemetry data from real-world  sharks that have been tagged by researchers with gps transponders. You play the role of a shark researcher. At the beginning of the game, you align yourself with one of 3 research groups:  the high-tech, no-nonsense International Marine Observation Project (IMOP); FINS, a hardcore ecological activist group; or the Piedmont Group, a media saavy project interested in both research and creating great images. You are given a boat, and 2 crew members, each with the following characteristics: Status (health), Skill, and Stamina. Skill affects the quality of the data the crew member gathers, and Stamina determines how quickly they get tired. After naming your boat and being assigned your crew, you are asked to choose your home port and starting point: Monterey, San Luis Obispo, or San Diego. From this point onward,  gameplay is a cycle of excursions from your home port to seek shark encounters. You plot your course by setting waypoints. The boat moves in real time (28-35 mph), so it may take several hours before your first encounter. You can elect to receive alerts via email and SMS when your ship encounters a shark.

When your ship encounters a shark, you have 3 hours to log into the game and respond. You can respond by trying one of several data collecting techniques: a 1-person dive, 2 person dive, surface observations, or other more advanced techniques you can purchase or earn as you advance in the game. Each technique has its own risks and research payoffs. After choosing your technique, and te crewmembers to carry it out, the game presents the results, which can be either data and information about the shark, or by chance, a shark attack, forcing you to send the injured crewmember back to port. The information you receive from a successful encounter will be in one of the following categories:  Habitat & Environment, Health & Biology, Senses & Perception, Aggression v. Humans, Reproductive, Social, Feeding & Hunting, and you will be given a paragraph describing the findings. Upon submitting the data to your organization, you receive additional funding, and occasionally, a message giving you further instructions. After a few encounters, you need to head back to port to refuel, purchase equipment to upgrade your research capabilities, and hire additional crew by spending the funds you have earned.

The sharks and their telemetry paths are displayed on the game map in real-time, and clicking on a shark brings up its details: species, sex, length, weight, and recent encounters, as well as the data you have already collected on that particular shark. Additional game features include a ship's log which records your accomplishments, a leaderboard that displays the highest earning researchers in the game, and the ability to compete against a rival researcher, whom you can either invite to the game or have the game assign randomly from existing players.