It’s not often we hear or see the intersectionality between video games and science research unless it’s those that try to tell you whether gaming can make you a killer. So, when we do get to experience such rare moments in which gaming helps science then it truly remarkable. Thus, that’s where the concept of Pac-Man added a Norwegian research team.
Professor Erik Andrew Johannessen and his team wanted to learn about how microorganisms function from a predator-prey perspective. They wanted to see how certain organisms would react and respond to situations in which they would either live or die. Thus, they used unicellular organisms known as Euglena and multicellular organisms known as Rotifers. The Euglena were the Pac-men and the Rotifers were the ghosts.
The project was made more accessible to the public when the team brought in Adam Bartley Lyslagt to create a Pac-Man-style labyrinth within which the microorganism would roam. Adam would then direct the footage which is eerily similar to how the original game plays out. The video can be viewed below
As said earlier, it’s not often we get to see science and video gaming meet at crossroads but there are moments where it can truly amaze you. Fold It is another great example of how a video game helped science, for the gamers were able to assist the scientists in figuring out the protein enzyme structure by which AIDS reproduces; which in turn could help in creating better drugs to neutralise it. Let’s hope that we get to see more fantastic projects like this in the future!
