Hexxed
Roles: Game designer (consultant)
Release Date: 2020
Genres: Cognitive science research (serious gaming)
Institution: Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown
Final version (Version 2):
Short Description:
“hexxed is a puzzle game designed by scientists to study how we solve problems. By playing, you will contribute to a global experiment seeking to model the human creative process with unprecedented depth and clarity.”
Promotional Text:
“We are neuroscientists based in Lisbon and Berkeley who study how the brain shapes our behaviors in the laboratory, so that we may learn to make better decisions in our lives.
“You routinely make choices that are much more complex than they seem. Right now, in choosing to play this game you may wonder: Is it worth my time? Could I be doing something better? Your memories, desires, and imagination weave together in a mysterious way as you ponder. So, how do you choose?
“We made hexxed to study this question. We designed the game so that it is simple enough to study scientifically, yet complex enough to challenge the mental abilities of human players. Now we aim to collect data from tens of thousands of players like you.
“Why?
“Because mapping the creative impulse that fuels intelligence requires many repeated observations. Each of you arrives at the game with a unique history and tendencies, meaning that you can interpret the game in highly diverse and fluid ways. Nonetheless, based on our work in the lab, we believe that the commonalities across players will outweigh the differences, allowing us to map a territory of intelligent play, and see how people move through it.
“Within one year, we will share our findings at hexxed.io, so that you may see how you and your fellow humans solve problems.
Proof of Concept (Version 1):