minato0859 / neurohack-2024

This interactive and educational game introduces kids to the complexities of neuroscience through mixed-reality gameplay. Players embark on a journey as a microglia cell, navigating through the brain to protect neurons from viruses, showcasing the importance of various cell types in brain function. The game combines fun with learning.

NeuralNavigators

NeuroHack 2024 Team 7 project submission: NEURAL NAVIGATORS!

1. PROJECT VIDEO LINK https://youtu.be/4_1dSUkZ1K4

2. PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Neural Navigators: an interactive and educational neuroscience video game for kids

The brain contains approximately 86 billion neurons - and yet neurons do not represent the majority of the brain’s cell types (Azevedo et al., 2009). There is an array of specialized cells, each with crucial roles, like protecting neurons, fighting infections, enhancing the efficiency of message transduction of neurons, and more… Some researchers spend their careers understanding just one cell type and its roles. Despite their fascinating nature, not many know what they are outside the research field, in part because the learning process can be long, tedious, and complicated.

Thus comes Neural Navigators, the only mixed-reality neuroscience education game for children! This is a user-friendly game that allows children to learn about different cell types and their roles in a fun, interactive way. The player takes on the role of a cell type and completes tasks before the time runs out! Research has shown that children who play video games perform better on cognitive tasks that involve impulse control and memory than children who don’t play video games (Chaarani et al., 2022). Additionally, this game provides a balance between skill, imagery, and challenge that has been shown to increase learning in children (Klopfer et al., 2018).

In our prototype, the user becomes a microglia - the brain's immune cells - and finds neurons around the room to save them from viruses by engulfing them - known as phagocytosis. Text prompts are also available to educate kids as they play along!

(Word count: 248)

3. TECHNOLOGIES & FEATURES USED

Mixed reality using the meta presence platform with the Meta Quest 3 headset.

4. REFERENCES & RESOURCES

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Azevedo, F.A.C, Carvalho, L.R.B., Grinberg, L.T., Farfel., J., Ferretti, R.E.L., Leite, R.E.P., Filho, W.J., Lent, R., & Herculano-Houzel, S., (2009). Equal numbers of neuronal and non-neuronal cells make the human brain an isometrically scaled-up primate brain. The Journal of Comparative Neurology, 513:532–541.

Chaarani, B., Ortigara, J., Yuan, D., Loso, H., Potter, A., & Garavan, H.P., (2022). Association of video gaming with cognitive performance among children. JAMA Network Open, 5(10):e2235721.

Klopfer, E., Haas, J., Osterweil, S., & Rosenheck, L. (2018). Resonant games : design principles for learning games that connect hearts, minds, and the everyday. The MIT Press. https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&scope=site&db=nlebk&db=nlabk&AN=2518016

RESOURCES:

Gorillazilla: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1d1rLkdSZK66Rs7N5_AIjGFoMX-oQXmM_?usp=sharing XRGizmo:https://github.com/darktable/XRGizmos Meshy: https://www.meshy.ai/ Toon Shader: https://github.com/Delt06/urp-toon-shader.git?path=Packages/com.deltation.toon-shader The SDK: Meta Package (com.meta.xr.sdk.all) v59.0.0

5. OPTIONAL: ADDITIONAL ASSETS

Neuron Character Render

Virus Character Render

Extra character Renders for future play: Oligodendrocyte Character