Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Continue' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

Accept all cookies Reject all non-essential cookies Find out more

Role-playing computer game helps players understand how vaccines work on a global scale

A free game launched today allows players to role-play the deployment of a virtual vaccine to help to halt the global spread of a viral pandemic.

Screen shot from the Vaccination Game, including text explaining the virtual vaccine © Hal Drakesmith

The Vaccination Game, created by researchers at the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine (WIMM), in collaboration with Goldsmiths, University of London, challenges players to figure out how they can deploy limited doses of the vaccine to best control a disease modelled on influenza.

The idea of developing a game was conceived by Professor Hal Drakesmith and colleagues who are part of a research network focussing on immunising babies and mothers to fight infections in low and middle-income countries. Following funding from, and in collaboration with the IMPRINT research network, they were able to begin development of the game.

The full story is available on the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine website

The story is also featured on the University of Oxford website

Play the Vaccination Game

Similar stories

How body fat is stored across organs may reveal hidden health risks, study suggests

Researchers from the Nuffield Department of Population Health and the University of Oxford’s Big Data Institute have contributed to a new study showing that how fat accumulates in the body is just as important for identifying different health risks as a person’s overall weight.

New shingles vaccine linked to lower risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and heart failure – major study indicates

The shingles vaccine currently in use, called ‘Shingrix’, is associated with a reduced risk of cardiovascular events – including heart attacks, heart failure and stroke – compared to the previous shingles vaccine, according to a major new study published in Nature Medicine.

Vapes help more people quit smoking than other methods, Oxford-led Cochrane review finds

An updated Cochrane review led by Oxford researchers finds nicotine e-cigarettes help more people quit smoking than nicotine patches and gum, behavioural support or no support. The living review now includes 80 trials and nearly 30,000 participants.

Brain imaging study reveals how we decide whether we are in control

A brain imaging and stimulation study led by the University of Oxford has identified the brain mechanisms that help us work out whether the consequences we experience are caused by our own actions or by circumstances beyond our control.

Semaglutide associated with fewer cognitive problems in people with mental illness

Semaglutide, widely used to treat diabetes and obesity, was associated with fewer cognitive signs and symptoms in people with psychiatric disorders, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Oxford.

Oxford researchers win prestigious national leadership prizes

Professor of Orthopaedic Trauma Matthew Costa and NIHR Doctoral Research Fellow Rachel Kuo, both from the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, were announced among the winners of the NIHR20 Research Leaders Prizes in recognition of their outstanding contributions to health and care research.