Press X To Science‪!‬ Tim, Megan, and Phill

Sea Hero Quest is a highly polished mobile game that aims to help researchers gather data to fight the onset of dementia by testing people’s sense of direction and spatial awareness. We talk through how the developers and researchers have managed to bring big data to the table while maintaining an enjoyable experience for gamers […]

We’ll be parting the veil as we immerse ourselves in Alternate Reality games and the effects that they can have on us as gamers in our everyday lives.

This episode we explore simulations, an incredibly important scientific tool to explore answers to questions that may be dangerous, fiddly, or expensive to perform. Since games often pride themselves on being ultra-realistic, we take a look at where games have led to some interesting discoveries or behaviours through their sim success.

Modern games have often made a point of pride in how well they can simulate environments. With climate science an increasing focus in our changing world, how are games encouraging players to engage in their world rather than taking it for granted? And what happens when researchers turn to games to simulate ecosystem outcomes?

Think of a scientist, and what do you see? Are they an older person, male, with a white lab coat and frizzy hair? If so, you might be a game developer. Scientists have often suffered from the same narrow stereotyping that so often afflicts races, occupations, and entire cultures within games. In this episode we […]

Digital goods and virtual currency, but very real profits. Mobile gaming has lead a data-driven approach to figuring out exactly how to hook players into spending money. We look at some of the methods used to keep your eyes on the screen.