Citizen science and gamification

Gaming for health care

Play a game at home on the couch and at the same time contribute to the fight against (lymph node) cancer? That is the idea of UNMASK, the citizen science project founded by Games for Health Europe chairman Jurriaan van Rijswijk and Bernhard van Oranje, founder of Lymph&Co. UNMASK outsources scientific work to players in an effort to find a match in RNA sequences.

What is a citizen science game?

"A citizen science game is a game that helps science. You don't have to be a scientist to participate. Everyone can participate. Computers may be very smart and fast, but people are still better in recognizing patterns and making other connections. UNMASK aims to sort data, so that scientists can start in-depth research more quickly. You therefore help science and the fight against lymphoma by donating time and insight." (FMT Gezondheidszorg)

In the videos below you can see more about how the game works and you will find the aftermovie of the GameJam, in which 20 scientists, gamers, developers and programmers worked together in co-creation on UNMASK.

Looking for more examples of Citizen science gamification for medicine projects? Check out these projects:

The game FoldIt allowed players to help with the coronavirus by creating a new protein that binds to the side chains of the coronavirus, blocking interaction with human receptors. Biochemist David Baker of the University of Washington developed the first version of FoldIt in 2008. (Source: iedereenwetenschapper.be)
The Eye for Diabetes project looks for abnormalities of blood vessels in the eye, such as minor bleeding or bulging of a blood vessel. Scientists are investigating the eye condition 'diabetic retinopathy', which occurs in people with diabetes. (Source: Zooniverse.org)
In the citizen science game Eyewire you help to map the human brain by searching for neuron reconstructions. (Source: Eyewire.org)

Sources: FMT Gezondheidszorg; Indigo; Sciencelink, Lymph&Co; EOS Wetenschap

Videos about UNMASK