A new game has been designed to understand how people's social networks and decision-making change how diseases spread through communities. Nergal is a game world that allows members of public to explore a strange world full of friendly creatures whilst facing the threat from an ominous disease. The game involves winning points and aiming to 'stay alive' until the end, but there are no right or wrong decisions. All movements and decisions in the game, developed by researchers at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Biological Sciences, generate useful data for important health research.People’s social networks and decisions can change how diseases spread around communities. During the game, data is collected on how social behaviour changes in response to infectious disease, which can then be used to model how this affects the spread of the disease.Understanding these behavioural patterns could help scientists find better ways to fight diseases like COVID-19 in the future. Studying disease spread through gaming Most research on disease spread is based on computer simulations because of the difficulty and ethical challenges of closely tracking people’s health and social interactions in real life. These simulations often assume people are the same and that everyone is rational in their decision-making, which isn’t how the world works.The game provides a safe way to explore what people do when there are diseases around, filling an important gap in our understanding of the world.It is hoped that the game will provide researchers with better data on how individual behaviour differs in response to disease and the impact this has on disease spread.Researchers can then feed these more realistic responses into simulations of infectious diseases spreading through communities, to help predict how these differences in behaviour alter the impact of an epidemic. About Nergal Dr. Matthew Silk and Nitara Wijayatilake at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Biological Sciences created ‘Nergal’ in collaboration with game developers 'Then Try This'. Describing the game, Then Try This write: In this game, you play as a cute Nergal in your choice of fancy hat. You can potter around a strange world, there's no right or wrong, you can do whatever you like - chat with other Nergals (maybe get a snack from them), make and break friendships, talk to the plants, clouds, even the moon if you like, and play tunes by walking around. There is an ominous disease though... While it might not seem like you're doing anything serious, just by playing you're generating important data for disease research, that could lead to important public health benefits in future. Play Nergal Whilst the game can be played on most devices it is best suited to computers and tablets. The game also includes a night mode, which has been designed for players with low or no vision. This is a higher contrast version that can be played with sound only.The development of the game was funded by The Royal Society and Impetus for Citizen Science. Our scientific aim is to learn more about what happens to disease spread if people differ in how they respond to the threat of getting sick. We hope the game gets people thinking about social networks and disease spread. Dr Matthew Silk Royal Society Fellow, Institute for Ecology and Evolution It's always difficult to make sure these games gather really robust data and are scientifically sound behind the scenes, while also being genuinely fun to play and lovely environments for people to be in. This one has been a huge learning curve with lots of new challenges. We've loved making it happen! Dr. Amber Griffiths Founding Director, Then Try This Related links Dr Matthew SilkThen Try ThisRoyal SocietyImpetus for Citizen ScienceInstitute of Ecology and Evolution Publication date 12 Mar, 2025
