How Gaming Impacts Scientific Research
Games that combine citizen science with rewarding play are transforming the research world. From helping with Alzheimer’s disease to finding a cure for cancer, there are several ways that gaming is impacting scientific research.
● Gamification of Scientific Thinking
Video games have the potential to be exploited for gain in science education. This is because it supports three key elements of scientific literacy: content knowledge, process skills, and understanding the nature of science.
● Improving Data Quality
Citizen science games also improve data quality by keeping players involved in the data collection process. For instance, players who played the citizen science game Cell Slider were found to be 90% accurate in seeing images of tumors (almost as good as trained pathologists).
● Crowdsourcing Research Problems
This concept offers scientists the opportunity to crowdsource research problems. According to Jay Halderman, the vice president of Balanced Media Technology, citizen games allow players to solve a scientific problem without knowing the science of the problem.
● Making Research Fun and Engaging
Counting bacteria in a petri dish or concocting chemicals in a lab is typically not pleasant. However, when this job is converted to a game, it becomes easy to do, leading to more data being collected.
The Benefits of Citizen Science Games
Citizen science games, that is, games explicitly created for citizen science, are highly effective tools for research. Here are a few of their benefits:
● Addresses the Issue of the Dropoff Rate
The dropoff rate is a real challenge in traditional citizen science projects. With the introduction of games, however, players can uncover valuable data by playing and winning.
● Contribute to Scientific Research
Citizen science games have contributed to science research in various fields. These games have helped to develop the fields of medicine, biology, and language.
● Scalability
Imagine for a minute that everyone could be a scientist; think about how much data could be analyzed and how the research speed will increase. That is what citizen science games do; they make data collection more scalable.
● Filling Knowledge Gaps
Citizen science games encourage curiosity and learning, making them a valuable way to fill knowledge gaps. Since these games are widely accessible, they allow anyone to participate regardless of age, gender, or nationality.
Challenges of Citizen Science Games
While there are numerous benefits of citizen science games, there are also challenges that you should be aware of. They include:
● Design Challenges
First of all, developing and designing citizen science games can be challenging since they have to be science-focused. Additionally, not many people know they can play games to help science, so attracting players is an issue.
● Ambiguous Allocation of Developer Roles
Citizen science games require a diverse set of stakeholders working together. This often includes scientists, game developers, and volunteers. The allocation of developer roles could become ambiguous, leading to tension.
● Limited Resources and Funding Dependencies
The development of these games requires heavy funding, which smaller organizations are often unable to afford. A limited budget could lower the scalability of the games.
Examples of Citizen Science Games
As previously stated, citizen science games have contributed in several ways to various fields of science. In this section, we will look at a few of these games:
| Citizen Science Game | Description |
| EteRNA | The citizen science game EteRNA has led to the discovery of new RNA molecules. The game allows players to design RNA molecules that can be used to create new vaccines and medicines. During the game, players can fold RNA molecules and test their designs to see if they work. |
| EcoBuilder | EcoBuilder is a new citizen science game where players can build and design in-game virtual systems. By testing different environmental conditions and species, the players determine how the ecosystem is affected. This allows scientists to discover how ecosystems work and how to protect them. |
| Foldit | Another citizen science game that has contributed significantly to the scientific world is Foldit. In thе gamе, playеrs compеtе against еach othеr to sее who can fold protеins fastеr and morе accuratеly. Thе gamе has helped scientists understand the dynamics of protеin folding, lеading to thе discovеry of nеw protеins. |
Conclusion
Gamеrs havе thе potential to makе significant and impactful contributions to sciеncе. Through citizеn gamеs, players are doing еvеrything from identifying nеw еxoplanеts to tеsting nеw drugs. As technology continues to evolvе, we can expect to see even more innovativе ways for gamers to participate in thе scientific processes.
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Source: Vietnam Insider