Gearbox launches minigame to help citizen scientists research illnesses

There are trillions of microbes in the human gut, associated with a variety of diseases. Mapping these microbes will help scientists better understand them and treat associated illnesses. However, computers struggle to map the gut and create reliable data. Humans are far better suited to finding and correcting errors.

To assist in the effort, Gearbox Entertainment teamed up with researchers at McGill University, Massively Multiplayer Online Science (MMOS), and The Microsetta Initiative at UC San Diego School of Medicine to launch Borderlands Science—a citizen science minigame within Borderlands 3.

Within three months the project reached more than 1 million participants, who solved a total of 50 million puzzle solutions. Their output ranged between 10,000 and 15,000 hours of work per day—more than 10 times the level of engagement of past mapping projects. Players’ efforts saved medical researchers hundreds of thousands of hours in training computers to do the same.

The Gearbox team developed an in-game arcade cabinet, complete with an ‘80s theme and suite of rewards for completing research tasks. To put a polished, broad-base appeal to the campaign, Gearbox also engaged “Big Bang Theory” star Mayim Bialik, who lent her voice to the project, the launch trailer and ongoing public relations efforts.