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…
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. : Play in new window | Download
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…
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…
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…
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…
Virtual reality (VR) offers a lot: immersion, unrivalled interaction, and the promise of endless vistas to explore and enjoy. But could it also offer the cure for what ails you? We talk through some extremely surprising (and uplifting) medicinal applications…
Egg boxes and lasers and qubits, oh my! We talk about quantum mechanics and the basis of design of citizen science quantum computer simulator, Quantum Moves. Included in the discussion are the places where humans do well versus computers, failing…
Newton’s Laws have been a source of frustration and head-scratching for high school kids (and their teachers) for generations. But video games can help! In our inaugural episode, we look at how games such as Osmos and Kerbal Space Program…