A massively multiplayer online game can now have you contributing to real science, as it hosts a citizen-driven science research venture that usually takes large amounts of time and resources.
EVE Online served as the right fit for Project Discovery, launched Thursday to start recruiting volunteers to participate in scientific research that typically entails a global collaboration among hundreds, even thousands, of people.
CCP Games partnered with MMOS, Reykjavik University students in Iceland, and the Human Protein Atlas — a Swedish research program exploring the human proteome or protein-coding genes — for a distinct game-within-a-game experience.
In this campaign dubbed as "genuine and scalable citizen science," Eve Online players can increase their rank and earn in-game rewards by helping classify proteins from a huge database, which in turn assist scientists in understanding proteins in human cells.
"We were approached by MMOS to see if we could leverage the incredible human capital of EVE player intellect to contribute to scientific research and we were immediately thrilled at the prospect," says EVE's executive producer Andie Nordgren, hoping the partnership will pave the way for other collaborative works between gaming and science.
Crowdsourcing scientific research is on the rise. In the field of astronomy, for instance, telescopes deliver painfully huge amounts of data every day, requiring great human effort to comb through the information.
The project called Planet Hunters briefly trained its volunteers to identify signs in drips in brightness whenever a planet passes in front of a star — an effort that has allowed many planet candidates outside the solar system to be discovered.
In Project Discovery, players would recognize protein patterns in more than 13 million images of cells coming straight from the laboratory. It leverages the "human computing power" of EVE Online players instead of assigning such massive undertaking to a small group of scientists.
The Human Protein Atlas works to identify all proteins human genes are coding for as well as their spatial pattern of expression ultimately leading to an understanding of how they create and influence disease. The researchers' goal is map out proteins in different cells and organs.
There is no special requirement to participate as long as one is an EVE player, from novices to veteran ones. Experts have put controls in place to verify the results' validity and scientific soundness.
Players, on the other hand, can spend their earned credits on items such as a new booster type or unique clothing.
