Also called Dish Life, it cast a group of children in a paddling pool as stem cells in a dish. The game follows on from a short film produced in 2016 by stem cell scientist Dr Loriana Vitillo and Jent in collaboration with director Chloe Thomas. Players must balance competing demands: growing a range of ever-hungry cells while adding to their lab’s wellbeing and reputation – all as they negotiate the scientific career ladder through publication and promotion.
These relationships are central to the gameplay, which the team describe as “part Sims, part Tamagotchi” with a dose of strategy and dilemma.
We aimed to create an interactive experience reflecting the nurturing of experiments and building of social relationships at the heart of good science.”įor her research fieldwork, Jent has been embedded in stem cell labs, where she observed not just the dynamic between scientists, but the curious connection researchers have with the cells they grow, which need near-constant care and attention – a bit like microscopic kids. “Science involves teamwork and care as much as reason and logic. “We want to use gaming to have a different kind of conversation about science,” said Jent. “A lot of people only encounter the process of science through hyperbolic headlines or cinematic tales of the lone genius.” “The route to scientific discovery can feel like a mystery to many of us,” said Dr Karen Jent from the ReproSoc group in Cambridge’s Department of Sociology, who led the game’s development.
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