[Proposal]: ImmunoWars Online Alpha MVP x FAIR Data

[Mr-Black-IW]

Short title

Exploring opportunities & requirements for ImmunoWars Online x FAIR Data Framework

Project Description

ImmunoWars: The Most Infectious Boardgame A scientific physical boardgame about infectious diseases, technology, medicine, and immune system. Kill your opponents by infecting them and protecting yourself - the last player standing wins. The game is fully scientifically accurate. By offering science communication through an interactive, dynamic, and funny medium, we make science more accessible and sexy to a wide audience, increasing awareness & understanding. This game is already on the market, and you can view and play it (2-6 players) at the SWAT4HCLS hackathon.

ImmunoWars Online The next chapter in our journey. ImmunoWars Online (IWO) has far more scalability and impact potential than the boardgame. It doesn't require material, manufacturing, shipping and storage for every user - only server space and a team of enthusiastic code geeks. Furthermore, it's far easier to update content (such as cards) so as to reflect the latest publications in science, whereas in the physical game, cards become more outdated over time. This digital framework could function as a playable and fun front-end for the backbone of FAIR data collection, access and communication. Our concept for ImmunoWars Online currently looks like a 3-layered cake (from front-end to back-end):

1) The game interface and functionality: This is the front end part that concerns itself with how the game looks, feels, and interacts with the user. In addition to the elements that define gameplay experience, this part is also crucial in determining in which ways FAIR data and the latest research can be communicated to the user.

2) A user-generated content toolbox: This toolbox enables our scientist community/player base to easily develop their own cards, skins, or potentially even sub-versions of the game. This greatly scales our impact potential, as scientists can gamify their own research or favourite papers and communicate its findings to the rest of the community. This can be far more effective than only relying on ourselves for new content. In addition, content creators will feel strongly connected, as it also feels like 'their baby'.

3) A peer-review functionality: This functionality functions as a gatekeeping and quality control tool, where the community peer-reviews the UGCs created by their peers. In addition to ensuring the flow of high-quality content into the game, it also stimulates discussion and co-creation amongst our members, leading to a tighter-knit community.

This is a short summary of our ideas and considerations. All 3 layers consists of a lot of subquestions and potential functionalities. For further questions and/or ideas, I'll be at the hackathon on Thursday between 09:00-10:50 and 15:00-17:00. Hit me up for a chat or coffee. You can also text or call me at +31629487771.

P.S. You can find a gameplay explanation trailer of the physical boardgame here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfAVh-b906M

Infectious regards, Rafael Jezior / Mr. Black

Expertise Needed

This project is very much in pre-alpha development phase and we need your help to explore its various facets, challenges, and opportunities. This means that we have many open questions and offer a high level degree of freedom to explore what you think is most interesting about the concept. However, we expect that parts 2) and 3) of the project description align most with your interests and expertise (and focus of the SWAT4HCLS hackathon), but that is ultimately up to you to decide. Your goal is to perform a validation or develop a (simple) MVP about one or multiple questions.

A few examples of research questions that we defined thus far (in no particular order). Feel free to come up with your own questions or ideas:

1. How can we create knowledge-graphs of FAIR data and connect them to the playing cards/game?
2. How can we access real-time data (e.g. ebola patients, areas of current outbreaks, running clinical trials for medicine type X etc) and present it in a clean and effective way to the users.
3. How can we periodically (day/week) scrape the web for the latest publications and science news updates?
4. How can users/scientists upload their credentials (Research Gate, LinkedIn) for UGC and peer review?
5. How can research or data uploaded by the user automatically be scanned for the most important or relevant elements, to help them with card creation by filling in some blanks?
6. In what ways can we help users with good credentials to make UGC + peer review a more smooth and easy process?
7. How can we make an algorithm that distinguishes between relevant and irrelevant (high quality) credentials?
8. Is it possible to integrate an API that allows them to log in and link accounts?
9. How to ensure peer-review is done honestly and truthfully?
10. How to prevent bots and trolls from ruining this peer-review process?
11. How to stimulate substantial and effective peer review (incentives?) and make it easy?
12. Hoe to reward users for good behaviour, such as high quality UGCs or high quality + quantity peer review?

There are many more ideas to explore. If any of the aforementioned ideas sparkle your mind, or you have a puzzle piece that's still missing, we challenge you to develop a simple MVP. We love collaboration with developers and are curious what you come up with.

For further questions and/or ideas, I'll be at the hackathon on Thursday between 09:00-10:50 and 15:00-17:00. Hit me up for a chat or coffee. You can also text or call me at +31629487771.

P.S. You can find a gameplay explanation trailer of the physical boardgame here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfAVh-b906M

Infectious regards, Rafael Jezior / Mr. Black

[Mr-Black-IW]

If you have ideas that you want to share with the community, feel free to drop them here. Good luck!