Gamers and Modern Science

1. Gamers and Modern Science By Grace Dinn

3. What is the relationship? • FirasKhatib and his people from the University of Washington have been struggling over a decade with the problem of AIDS, so he thought to ask computer gamers for help • The result= in three weeks the gamers solved the puzzle that could lead to scientists neutralizing the protein • They discovered the structure of a protein belonging to the Mason-Pfizer monkey virus…. A close relative of the HIV that causes AIDS in monkeys • When scientists understand the shapes of proteins, they can better generate solutions for disease prevention and treatment • If they could do this is merely three weeks.. What else are they capable of?!! • Gamers are essentially teaching scientists and computers how to build with genetic code • Researchers are enlisting everyday people to take part in humanity’s scientific enterprise

4. What is the game? • Serious gamers spend up to 10,000 hours playing video games by the time they are 21 • Foldit and EteRNA are two games that were created to put the gamers time to good use • The proteins are toy-like so they are comprehensible to the players • The goal of the game FOLDIT is to work out the three-d structures of different proteins… the proteins consist of long chains of amino acids that fold into very specific and complicated shapes. These shapes can reveal how proteins work but solving them is fiendishly challenging… scientists typically need to grow crystals of purified protein before bouncing x-rays off them

5. Foldit • 2/3 of the top scores had no biochemistry experience beyond high school • The game has controls with a tutorial level introducing the game’s mechanics, colorful visuals with hints, and the interface explained in simple language such as words like tweak, freeze, wiggle, and shake vs. scince language such as rotating alpha-helices and fixing degrees of freedom • The simple language allows the player to comprehend the move that would make most sense then the scientists could translate it for their use • The players use their intuition and 3-D problem solving skills to figure out likely protein structures • They get points for finding the most chemically stable shapes

6. Foldit Approach • Foldit was a game created to solve the puzzle of AIDS, but it was treated like a real game that hoped to attract a wide audience and keep them until they “beat the game” • It is very competitive awarded points for making proteins that use the least amount of energy • There is also a chat forum for the players to chat and share thoughts • The game was successful because it combined the thrill of contributing to genuine scientific research, personal acheivement, social aspects, and because the game was fun and immersive

7. Why gamers can do this? • Research suggests that the brain of those who regularly play computer games differs from those who do not regularly play… playing computer games has been linked to a range of effects from addiction to improved reasoning • Gamers are often competitive and have exceptional problem solving skills as well as more creative

8. The future • With the great success of the gamers and the solving of the monkey virus, researchers are more and more reaching out to civilians for their help • Chris Lintott, an astrophysicist at Oxford University has created Zooniverse, a domain for researchers to reach out when they need public assistance in an eyes-on way • The power of citizen science using the brainpower of puzzle loving humans • Competitive social interaction is a very strong driving force