How PC Gaming Could Save the World..a Bit (A FoldIt Thread)

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Piotyr

Piotyr

So, I found this pretty interesting: http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/09/19/pc-gamers-save-the-world-a-bit/

Basically, scientists are making use of FoldIt, a puzzle solving online game, so that gamers can help them crack enzyme protein puzzles related to HIV, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease. It's actually more useful than computer analysis, because humans have a much more developed spatial reasoning than can be performed electronically at this time.

EDIT: Here is the actual paper being published in this month's Nature Structural and Molecular Biology, detailing how FoldIt gamers have deciphered the structure of an enzyme related to the AIDS virus.
 
C

Chibibar

Interesting idea.

Achievement unlock: Saved the world from HIV
Achievement unlock: Cured da cancer
Achievement unlock: Unlock 100 puzzles
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
Chibibar said:
Interesting idea.

Achievement unlock: Saved the world from HIV
Achievement unlock: Cured da cancer
Achievement unlock: Unlock 100 puzzles
Click to expand...
Soon after:
Achievement Unlock: R'lyeh Rises, Ia! Ia! (Attracted the attention of pan-dimensional beings who whimsically unmade our species)
Achievement Unlock: Happy Birthday, Skynet (Accidentally created self-modifying, self-aware software. So much for biological supremacy!)
 
Cheesy1

Cheesy1

D'OH!!! :(

And I even went into the "What's New" section to see if anything similar had been posted. Oh well.

Merge please!
 
Allen who is Quiet

Allen who is Quiet

Cheesy, this may surprise you but there's a "Report" button you can push on your post. It's right underneath your dancing stormtroopers. It's a better way of telling the mods what to do than making a post in a random thread.
 
strawman

strawman

Online gamers folded a protein that is one piece of the big puzzle to how a group of viruses work, which group includes HIV.

Reporters: Quick! Run the headline, "GAMERS CURE AIDS"

Scientists: /facepalm

Gamers: Whatever. Just keep the free games coming.
 
GasBandit

GasBandit

Staff member
the real getcha is that gamers would also just as ravenously tackle a game that involved creating a supervirus to wipe out humanity. And just to make it more difficult, the game designer might give an island nation, such as Madagascar, an overly-paranoid germaphobic leader....
 
O

Overflight

Hey, remember Folding@Home? Have you ever wished it was more like a videogame instead of a glorified screensaver from which you felt utterly detached? Well now your dream has come true!

http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/09/19/pc-gamers-save-the-world-a-bit/

That's right, FoldIt essentially makes you do the work that Folding@Home does by turning it into a puzzle game. And it has been getting good results: not only did the game manage to make a breakthrough by discovering the structure of a protein that might give insight into AIDS research but according to the FoldIt website, the players macros managed to outperform traditional folding algorithms. You can find the site here:

http://fold.it/

Now apparently both the site and the game's servers are getting hammered from the sudden influx of readers from these articles but hopefully it will return to normal. In the mean time, you can try the tutorial puzzles. I did them all and I have to say that even though this often becomes a question of trial and error, I recommend you check this out, if not just to annoy anyone who ever told you that video games were a waste of time.

Also, I heard you can form player groups. Halforums Science Team anyone?
Added at: 20:54
Aw crap. Double thread. Someone delete the other one please.
 
Piotyr

Piotyr

I figured gamers cracking a protein important enough to get an entry in a molecular biology scientific journal was more general audience. :)
 
C

Chibibar

You know, I am not surprise by this at all. I think it is pretty cool.

The problem that many devs don't give enough credit to gamers, but some gaming company take advantage of it.

Look at Elder Scrolls and Fallout 3, it has mod capabilities and look at the community making addons for FREE and enhance the game to a whole new level.
I see many many many many many many many talented people out there who can do all kinds of stuff. Given the chance, I'm sure the general public could solve a lot of things when given the chance ;)
 
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