As cases of COVID-19 rise again throughout the world in a clear second wave of the pandemic, attention has turned again to the vaccine/s that appear to be the only way the world will emerge from the crisis.
While considerable attention has been given to the anti-vaccination movement, but of course there are numerous challenges involved in getting the vaccines we so need to those that need them. A new game developed by researchers at the University of Oxford aims to shed some light on some of these challenges and how they might be overcome.
The Vaccination Game was developed in partnership with Goldsmiths, University of London, and requires players to figure out how to ensure limited doses of the vaccine are deployed in the right way to control the disease.
“We originally had the idea of the game and began developing it back in 2019, with influenza as our example disease,” the researchers say. “Then COVID-19 struck, and the ideas behind the game are obviously much more relevant.”
Raising awareness
The game isn’t intended to simulate the real-world or provide accurate modeling, but rather to act as an educational tool to illustrate how vaccines work and how they’re produced and distributed globally. The aim is to inform players that the deployment of vaccines is crucial to its effectiveness.
The game mechanics are based upon mathematical models of how viruses spread, and the impact on that spread of a vaccine. The vaccine in the game is only available in limited doses each week, so players are required to decide who will be vaccinated in each of the 99 cities available around the world inside the game.
After they’ve made their choices, they receive a report telling them how well they’ve done, and how many lives they managed to save via the vaccines.
“You can replay the game multiple times to improve strategy and save more lives – it is possible to do very well!” the team reveals. “We hope players find The Vaccination Game interesting, useful, and fun to play.”
The game can be played online here: https://bit.ly/3d5dwh0
