Project Discovery is a ‘citizen science’ project based around a mini-game within EVE Online, the player-driven spacefaring MMO, has been nominated for Best Public Service, Activism, and Social Impact Game in the 25th Annual Webby Awards.
Since June 2020, 327,000 Eve Online players have completed 1.37 million analysis tasks within the game, which has saved scientists 330.69 years worth of research into how the immune system responds to COVID-19
In partnership with teams at MMOS, McGill University, BC Cancer, and front-line COVID-19 clinicians such as Dr Andrea Cossarizza (Professor of Immunology at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia School of Medicine in Italy) – players have been marking cell populations on graphs which help scientists further understand how COVID-19 specifically affects blood cells. With over 115 million submissions made in the past year, players have helped to produce data that would not exist without the efforts of EVE players around the world.
“Nominees like EVE Online are setting the standard for innovation and creativity on the Internet,” said Claire Graves, Executive Director of The Webby Awards. “It is an incredible achievement to be selected among the best from the 13,500 entries we received this year.”Bergur Finnbogason, Creative Director for EVE Online, said: “The third phase of Project Discovery has captured the attention of players, press and onlookers around the world. Our Webby Awards nomination recognising the effort of players who participated in Project Discovery is utterly fantastic, we strove to do something meaningful with its latest iteration, and the response of players has gone above and beyond what we dreamed could happen”
Brian has been working in the games industry since the mid-1990s, when he joined the legendary studio DMA Design, as a writer on the original Grand Theft Auto. Since then he's worked with major publishers, founded his own digital agency, and the Scottish Games Network. At various times he's worked as a journalist, editor, narrative designer, lecturer, executive producer, and director.
