You know, one of my all-time favorite types of stories to write are about EVE Online’s Project Discovery. It’s science, MMOs, and warm fuzzies all at once. And today, CCP Games is back with news on the latest phase of the citizen science research-slash-charity effort, which as our readers will surely recall is focused on fighting cancer in conjunction with Swiss startup Massively Multiplayer Online Science (MMOS).
“Announced at EVE Fanfest last year, the latest phase of Project Discovery expands research to critical immune system diseases, including cancer, marking a significant advancement in scope and potential impact,” the company says. “Starting today, players can access an updated version of the innovative in-game minigame, contributing to real-world scientific research while playing EVE Online.”
“Building on the initiative’s past success, Phase Four adds new visualizations to increase the quality of player results. Players can now examine complex blood samples using new X/Y axis density curves, drawing polygons around cell clusters in flow cytometry data. This process will increase the performance of AI models trained on the data, supporting scientists in decoding immune system interactions with cancer and paving the way for potential treatment breakthroughs.”
EVE Online players who participate earn a range of exclusive in-game rewards: new SKINR design elements (Insightful Azure Metallic, Citizen Cyan Metallic, and Scientific Panache Satin), the Biosecurity Responders SKIN, and other special wearables.
“Project Discovery’s flow cytometry technique, introduced in 2020 to accelerate COVID-19 research, has seen over 900,000 EVE Online players make substantial contributions to scientific research,” CCP Games says. “Project Discovery continues to receive significant daily participation from the EVE Online community.” The studio reports that its players have engaged in more than 500 million citizen science minigames since the kickoff back in 2020. Let’s make it a billion, capsuleers!
