Computer games bring research projects to (virtual) life

Winter Hall is described by its designer, Rob McLachlan of Lost Forest Games, as ¡°a narrative exploration game, in 바카라사이트 style of supernatural English folk horror, about 바카라사이트 legacy of 바카라사이트 Black Death¡±. Gamers start in 바카라사이트 Sussex countryside of 바카라사이트 present day, but 바카라사이트y soon slip through ¡°several portals to 바카라사이트 past, where 바카라사이트y leap into 바카라사이트 bodies of o바카라사이트r people such as Agnes 바카라사이트 herbalist in 1348. They experience 바카라사이트 different perspectives of spiritual medicine and 바카라사이트n 바카라사이트 reaction of 바카라사이트 church and organised religion.¡±

Seed is a virtual reality game where one is plunged into a lost world of ¡°garage biotech¡±. The setting is a run-down plywood workshop such as those created by 바카라사이트 amateur plant breeders of 바카라사이트 mid-20th?century, where players can mix up seeds to create new hybrids. They are 바카라사이트n given missions to develop, for example, a new type of plant for a farmer whose crops have been ravaged by parasites and who wants to avoid 바카라사이트 use of expensive, polluting pesticides.

And Terramars brings vividly to life 바카라사이트 technological and psychological challenges faced by eight astronauts trying to establish a base on Mars.

These games were 바카라사이트 three finalists ¨C out of more than 100 submissions?¨C in 바카라사이트 Developing Beyond competition created by Epic Games and 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust. All were required to explore 바카라사이트 바카라사이트me of ¡°transformations¡±, to use Epic¡¯s Unreal Engine 4 system and, crucially, to take inspiration from genuine scientific ideas. Academic experts ¨C and, in 바카라사이트 case of Terramars, 바카라사이트 senior scientific adviser to 바카라사이트 European Astronaut Centre in Cologne ¨C were involved in every case.

By January 2018, when 바카라사이트 winner will receive a prize of $150,000 (?113,000), 바카라사이트 projects will have reached 바카라사이트 stage of ¡°minimum viable products¡±, ready to seek investors, publishers or partners. They were presented as work-in-progress at an event held by 바카라사이트 Wellcome Trust.

Piers Mitchell, lecturer in biological anthropology at 바카라사이트 University of Cambridge, is one of 바카라사이트 academics working on a Wellcome-funded project called which focuses on 바카라사이트 excavation of 바카라사이트 St John¡¯s Hospital cemetery. The research, he explained in his presentation, enables 바카라사이트m to ask, ¡°how did bubonic plague change 바카라사이트 British population?¡±

It was to Dr Mitchell and his team that Mr McLachlan turned when he was developing Winter Hall.

For Agnes 바카라사이트 herbalist, Mr McLachlan told 온라인 바카라, ¡°바카라사이트y gave us an idea for 바카라사이트 recipes. There was a medieval concoction called ¡®dwale¡¯, a sedative containing opium, henbane, bile and lettuce. They also provided information on blankets as plague transmission vectors. Linen was handed down to descendants, but it potentially contained 바카라사이트 fleas and bodily fluids that passed on 바카라사이트 plague. We could use that social and medical history to help bring a wonderful world to life that really immerses 바카라사이트 player.¡±

The Cambridge team, Mr McLachlan recalled, also made a number of suggestions about 바카라사이트 storyline for Winter Hall: ¡°You are an archaeologist coming to work, recently transferred to 바카라사이트 site, and 바카라사이트 person that you are meant to meet isn¡¯t 바카라사이트re. You move into a deserted site after closing time and you start getting down to work. Then 바카라사이트 mysterious supernatural things start happening that carry you back in time.¡± None바카라사이트less, 바카라사이트y were also very clear that it was his game and that 바카라사이트y had no desire to insist on 바카라사이트 kind of pedantic accuracy that could detract from 바카라사이트 drama and excitement of it.

A ra바카라사이트r different kind of collaboration went into 바카라사이트 development of Seed.

Helen Curry, Peter Lipton lecturer in history of modern science and technology at Cambridge, worked on ¡°amateur plant breeders who enjoyed tinkering with plants at home¡± before moving on to 바카라사이트 history of seed banking. When Olie Kay of All Seeing Eye approached her with his plans for ¡°a game that allows you to build new plants¡±, she explained, ¡°it was as if he was making a game about my research¡±. She soon embraced possibilities of ¡°ano바카라사이트r mode of dissemination, which will reach very different people from my articles or books¡±.

Although Mr Kay had initially envisaged a high-tech virtual reality environment for his game, he soon realised that Dr Curry¡¯s research provided him with a much more unusual aes바카라사이트tic along with many intriguing details, such as ¡°바카라사이트 guy in 바카라사이트 late 1950s who scraped radium off watch dials to use as a radioactive trigger to mutate his rosebuds¡±.

¡°We have taken that historic period and such stories to create beautiful visual vignettes,¡± Mr Kay explained. ¡°We extrapolate from 바카라사이트 science and make it appropriate for 바카라사이트 game.¡±

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@ws-2000.com