Stanford researcher Ingmar Riedel-Kruse. Photo by L.A. Cicero
Games are practically omnipresent in our society, filling our social networks, computers and phones. A team led by Stanford researcher Ingmar Riedel-Kruse has taken gaming to an entirely new level, introducing life itself into games.
Riedel-Kruse and his lab have developed the first biotic video games. The player's moves directly influence the behavior of living micro-organisms in real time as the game is being played.
Players are able to influence the basic biological functions of single-celled organisms. The team's goal is for players to learn about biological processes and interact with them without having to go through the rigorous process of formal experimentation.