Crispr Game9
A playful and creative visualization of Crispr Cas9
By Nikki Rademaker, and Yanna Smid
Overview
Explore genetics and biochemistry with the CRISPR Cas9 Game. This mini-game turns 2012 discovery of how CRISPR-Cas9 can be used for DNA cutting of CRISPR-Cas9 into a fun and educational experience. It makes complex biology playful and easy to understand, showing how bacteria defend themselves. This project was created for the Playful & Creative Science course. The goal was to express a research outcome in a creative way. Yanna Smid and I chose the discovery of CRISPR Cas9 and made it into a game to teach people about gene editing.
The Idea
We based the game on the 2012 study on CRISPR-Cas9. It shows how bacteria use a guide RNA and a Cas9 enzyme to find and cut viral DNA. Our game helps players understand this by building RNA strands, picking the right enzyme, and finding matching DNA.
Game Concept
The game has two parts. First, players build a crRNA strand and choose a Cas9 enzyme based on the PAM sequence. Then they move through a DNA strand to find the right target and cut it. Players learn the importance of both the RNA match and the PAM sequence. The game has simple visuals and random DNA strands in every round. It gives inmediate feedback if the player chooses wrong. The goal was to focus on education, not distractions. The design prevents cognitive overload by splitting the tasks into clear parts.
Technical Development
Crispr Game9 was created in Unity version 2020.3.18f1. The drawings and sprites were made by us in Procreate. We tested the game with users and changed features based on their feedback. The game is available here and shows how gamification can make science fun and accessible.