EVE Online, a popular science fiction MMORPG for PC, has recently introduced a new mini-game called Project Discovery. Unlike in other facets of the game where goals are framed in terms of advancing the narrative and gaining power and abilities, Project Discovery has real-world consequences for the scientific community. The mini-game tasks players with discovering new exoplanets (i.e. planets existing outside of our own solar system,) but the exoplanets in the game correspond with actual exoplanets in the physical universe.
Project Discovery has achieved this IRL crossover with help from the CoRoT space observatory. CoRoT uploaded its data troves onto EVE Online's servers, and the game designers transferred this data into a playable environment. Users can shuttle around the massive EVE universe looking for exoplanets based on the data. If enough users discover the same exoplanet, that data point is sent to the University of Geneva for confirmation, crowdsourcing astronomers' searches.
Key Themes Behind This Trend
- Crowdsourced Astronomical Discovery
- The use of online games to crowdsource astronomical discoveries presents an opportunity for the scientific community to harness the collective intelligence of gamers.
- Gamification of Scientific Research
- Integrating mini-games into scientific platforms allows for engaging and interactive ways to involve the public in real-world scientific exploration.
- Data Collaboration Between Science and Gaming
- Collaborations between scientific institutions and gaming platforms enable the utilization of large datasets for scientific research while also providing entertainment value to gamers.
Where This Applies
- Gaming
- The gaming industry can explore integrating scientific projects into their platforms, tapping into the growing interest of gamers in contributing to real-world research.
- Scientific Research
- Scientists and researchers can leverage gamification techniques to engage the public and accelerate data analysis and discovery processes.
- Astronomy
- Astronomy organizations can benefit from collaborating with gaming communities to analyze large amounts of astronomical data, fostering a sense of participation among gamers.
