CD4 Hunter Wins Medal
CD4 Hunter was awarded a Bronze medal in the 2018 International Serious Play Awards. CD4 Hunter is one of twelve games and simulations designed for use in training that have been cited for excellence by the 2018 International Serious Play Awards Program.
CD4 Hunter, the first mini-game developed in-house by the IMMID, is based on the mechanism of binding and attachment of HIV to target cells. Users play as HIV to locate, bind and infect as many specific target cells before being overcome by immune system (view the game tutorial). A prototype mini-game has been developed and it can be played on PC and touch screen devices including tablets, iPads and smartphones.
HIV was selected as the topic for the first game app because HIV infection is extensively discussed in several courses in the plans of study of different MS programs offered by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology (M&I) which the IMMID helped develop and supports. HIV is also one of the major areas of research in M&I and IMMID.
CD4 Hunter is a fast-paced, educational mini-game in which players take on the role of a human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) virion. By immersing real science within simple game play, users learn about the first step of HIV-1’s fascinating and complex replication cycle: binding and attachment. CD4 Hunter invites players to enter the bloodstream and grow their viral population by infecting specific target cells, while evading the immune system.
Contributors
- Executive Producer and Consultant
Brian Wigdahl, PhD: Chair, Department of Microbiology and Immunology (M&I); and Executive Director, Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease (IMMID)
- Subject Matter Expert and Project Supervisor
Sandra Urdaneta-Hartmann, MD, PhD, MBA: Former Assistant Professor (M&I)
- Game Designer
Carla Louise Brown, PhD: Postdoctoral Fellow (M&I)
- Programmer and Artist
Vincent Mills: Co-op Student (M&I and IMMID), Game Art and Production Program, Drexel University College of Media Arts and Design (Class of 2018)
- Animator and Artist
Andrew Dean Bishop: Co-op Student (M&I and IMMID), Animation and Visual Effects, Drexel University College of Media Arts and Design (Class of 2018)
- Subject Matter Experts
Fred Krebs, PhD; William Dampier, PhD; Michael Nonnemacher, PhD; Vanessa Pirrone, PhD; Michael Wagner, PhD; and Mary Ann Comunale, PhD
- Beta Testers
Graduate Students (M&I)
IMMID Games
- CD4 Hunter (Serious Play Conference Bronze Medal Award)
- Malaria Invasion (International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases 2019 Games Award)
- Hep B-Ware (International Conference on Game-Based Learning 3rd Place)