WASHINGTON: A Stanford researcher has started developing video games using biotechnology.

Ingmar Riedel-Kruse has begun developing "biotic games" involving paramecia and other living organisms.

In his video games, a player's actions influence the behaviour of living micro-organisms in real time – while the game is being played.

"We hope that by playing games involving biology of a scale too small to see with the naked eye, people will realize how amazing these processes are and they'll get curious and want to know more," said Riedel-Kruse.

"The applications we can envision so far are on the one hand educational, for people to learn about biology, but we are also thinking perhaps we could have people running real experiments as they play these games," he added.

Riedel-Kruse and his colleagues tried creating some classic games like PacMan, which was renamed as PACmecium' Biotic Pinball POND PONG and Ciliaball.

The basis of the games is paramecia– the single-celled organisms.

A camera sends live images to a video screen, with the "game board" superimposed on the image of the paramecia. A microprocessor tracks the movements of the paramecia and keeps score.

"We are talking about microbiology with these games, very primitive life forms. We do not use any higher-level organisms'" he said.

"Since multiple test players raised the question of exactly where one should draw this line, these games could be a good tool to stimulate discussions in schools on bioethical issues."

In some games, such as PAC-mecium' the player controls the polarity of a mild electrical field, which influences the direction the paramecia move.


Read more: Now, video games that use living organisms - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/Now-video-games-that-use-living-organisms/articleshow/7295558.cms#ixzz1BGyUsOn6

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