Seth Cooper

A Framework for Scientific Discovery through Video Games

Seth Cooper

As science becomes increasingly computational, the limits of what is
computationally tractable become a barrier to scientific progress. Many
scientific problems, however, are amenable to human problem solving skills
that complement computational power. By leveraging these skills on a larger
scale–beyond the relatively few individuals currently engaged in
scientific inquiry–there is the potential for new scientific discoveries.


This book presents a framework for mapping open scientific problems into
video games. The game framework combines computational power with human
problem solving and creativity to work toward solving scientific problems
that neither computers nor humans could previously solve alone. To maximize
the potential contributors to scientific discovery, the framework designs a
game to be played by people with no formal scientific background and
incentivizes long-term engagement with a myriad of collaborative or
competitive reward structures. The framework allows for the continual
coevolution of the players and the game to each other: as players gain
expertise through gameplay, the game changes to become a better tool.


The framework is validated by being applied to proteomics problems with the
video game Foldit. Foldit players have contributed to novel discoveries in
protein structure prediction, protein design, and protein structure
refinement algorithms. The coevolution of human problem solving and computer
tools in an incentivized game framework is an exciting new scientific
pathway that can lead to discoveries currently unreachable by other methods.