Research proposal: Evolve and Conquer: Using immersive video games to teach Evolution in Action

The Adami Lab studies evolution in many different computational environments, including the popular game development platform Unity3D, which supports our research in 3D virtual physics environ- ments. A group of students in our lab (R. Olson, J. Schossau, and D. Phillips) started a game project with the preliminary title Evolve and Conquer (E&C), a real time strategy game which incorporates the core principles of evolution: inheritance, variation, and natural selection. E&C immerses the player in a world governed by these evolutionary principles, allowing the player to experience evolution in action first-hand as a core aspect of the game mechanics. The player must understand the core principles of evolution in order to prevail and either overcome or learn to coexist with an evolving computer opponent.