Syndemic: Using Game-Based Learning to Engage Students in the Human Microbiome

Abstract

AbstractThe average adult has over 10 trillion microorganisms located in and on their body. This staggering total is more than the number of human cells and even stars in our entire galaxy. Despite cutting-edge research revealing the critical importance of these internal ecosystems in human and planetary health, students’ understanding of the microscopic world remains limited. Syndemic, an educational video game, attempts to make this invisible world visible to users by presenting the human microbiome in an accurate, engaging way. The game takes place in the future, where a genetically engineered microbe is designed to aid the immune system in killing bacterial infections, metastasizing cancer cells, chronic allergies, and other health-related antigens. The game integrates current research through a unique collaboration with the Synthetic Biological Systems Laboratory at Columbia University. This chapter first explores our changing understanding of the microbiome and how this translated into the creation of Syndemic. We then explore the undergraduate perspective on field-testing of the game. We look at the developing arena of digital game-based learning and how both a quantitative and qualitative study of Syndemic within local and global communities fits within this framework. We show that Syndemic was an effective learning opportunity for diverse users and how it also proved a worthwhile component of undergraduate education.