Play your way to open access!

The concept of open access has been around for over 30 years so it is something that most researchers are familiar with. If you are new to research or if your knowledge is a little rusty and you’d like to refresh it then a good way to do this is by playing a game! 

Gamification, which refers to the implementation of game-like elements into non-gaming activities to enhance engagement and motivation has been used in educational settings for many years. The COVID-19 pandemic led to a massive shift towards the creative use of technology to support learning and since this time, librarians working with researchers in higher education institutions have been developing innovative ways to engage them with open research topics.   

Below you’ll find a selection of games that have been created by research support teams worldwide to help learners get to grips with open access. We think they do a fantastic job of making the subject accessible so give them a try and see what you think! 

Open Axis Video Game (University of California, Los Angeles)

https://guides.library.ucla.edu/openaccess/openaxis 

 Librarians at UCLA launched this game during International Open Access Week in 2021 whilst most of their research community was working and studying from home. It’s a ‘choose your own adventure’ in which players choose to be either students or faculty members navigating the research and scholarly publishing landscape.

The gameplay involves the player making choices that determine their chosen character's actions and the outcome of the story. The narrative is interspersed with 8-bit mini games which are a delight (you’ll need to use a laptop or have access to a keyboard to play them). As it doesn’t take long to complete, once you’ve finished one story you can go back and play as one of the other characters to experience a different set of publishing/open access dilemmas.

Screenshot showing one of the mini games shared under a CC-BY-NC-SA licence.

The puzzling hunt for Open Access (University of Essex)

https://essex.libwizard.com/f/puzzling-hunt-for-OA 

Research support librarians at the University of Essex originally created an open access escape room in 2018 which they then adapted into an online format during the pandemic. The Puzzling Hunt for Open Access is a single-player game that requires you to solve a series of puzzles to free research from the clutches of an evil villain who wants to lock it all away.

Players need to decipher clues whilst learning about green, gold and diamond routes to open access. The game takes around 30 minutes to complete.

Open Up Your Research - An Open Science Game 

Röthlisberger, Melanie, Höfler, Manuela, Hermans, Katherine, Furrer, Eva. 2021, University of Zurich. 

https://www.openscience.uzh.ch/en/moreopenscience/game.html 

This game was developed by librarians alongside open science and multimedia and e-learning colleagues at the University of Zurich. 
Like Open Axis, Open Up your Research requires players to make choices for the character Emma (a PhD student) which determines how her research journey progresses. Should she follow an open research approach or a more conventional route? 

Most of the game involves watching a video and making choices for Emma at key points and at the end of the game you are given an open science score based upon these choices. Some of the routes to opening up research are more relevant to certain scientific disciplines (e.g. preregistration) however the game still gives a useful insight into open research practice. One really nice aspect of the game is how it highlights the benefits and consequences of the choices you make for Emma once she has gained her PhD and embarks upon a postdoctoral career. 

Sarah Dar, Scholarly Communications Officer

Main image by VD Photography on Unsplash