University of Washington Student Turns Met's Open-Access Database into Daily Art History Game

At just 21, Matthew Chu, who studies accounting and data science at the University of Washington, has developed Anthropeum, an interactive online game leveraging the Metropolitan Museum of Art's open-access database to challenge players on art history. Each day, the game features 10 pieces from the Met's extensive collection of over 492,000 artworks. Players are tasked with pinpointing the artifacts' origins on a map and timeline, with hints available and points awarded for accuracy. Inspired by collectors identifying coins, Chu's game refreshes daily like Wordle, though the Met does not endorse it. The museum's open-access initiative, initiated in 2017 under the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) license, significantly boosted image downloads by 64 percent within six months. Chu also incorporates open-source databases like historical-basemaps and OpenHistoricalMap for mapping and plans to expand the game’s offerings while ensuring its archives remain accessible for ongoing play, aiming to serve as an educational resource for all.