Gearbox has partnered with a few scientific institutions to integrate a science initiative on its Borderlands 3 gameplay. Players can now contribute to the science community simply by playing the game.
Gearbox recently issued a press release introducing Borderlands Science, an initiative in collaboration with McGill University, Massively Multiplayer Online Science, and The Microsetta Initiative.
The San Francisco-based company has developed a mini-arcade game within the Borderlands 3 gameplay to help out scientists all over the world to configure corrupted data of fecal analysis.
How to play the arcade mini-game
To play Borderlands Science, players must go to Doctor Tannis’ infirmary aboard Sanctuary III. In the corner, you’ll find the newly installed Borderlands Science arcade game.
According to the Gearbox press release, players will simply block puzzles based on strands of DNA. The different nucleotides are represented by an array of colored tiles.
To organize the tiles into correct rows, players will need to nudge the tiles within its columns.
Each puzzle has a target score that is needed to achieve to be able to progress and earn credits. It will not be possible to line up all of the tiles correctly.
I'm doing my part! #BorderlandsScience pic.twitter.com/3s3s9OGoKl
— Greg Miller (@GameOverGreggy) April 8, 2020
Once players hit the target score, they can still make additional moves before moving on to the next one. The key here is to solve as many puzzles as possible to beat the high scores posted by Tannis.
By completing the puzzles, players can earn in-game currency. This virtual credit can be redeemed for unique Vault Hunter Heads and Skins as well as timed boosters that buff your stats and loot quality.
This will also increase players’ experience gains jumping back to Borderlands 3 proper.
How does playing help scientists
By solving the puzzles, players help the scientist map out the microbes and compare them. This helps correct the mistakes that the computers made while organizing the data for analysis.
The data is gathered from fecal samples collected by scientists. By participating in the game, players are helping the scientists identify the alien microbes that live inside the human body.
the microbes are reportedly linked to conditions such as diabetes, autism, depression, anxiety, and obesity. Therefore, the identification of these microbes can potentially pave the way to develop treatments.
With the home quarantine imposed in most of the countries amid the COVID-19 pandemic, players can now make use of the time to contribute to the scientific community while having a lot of fun.
Featured image courtesy of Twitter/GearboxOfficial