Study Finds Zombie Ant VR Game Improves Understanding of Evolution
A virtual reality game based on zombie fungi and infected ants improved players’ understanding of evolution, according to a study conducted at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.
The project involved visitors at the University Museum Utrecht playing a game called Zombie Ants VR: Definitive Edition. Participants completed questionnaires before and after gameplay. The results suggested that the game increased awareness of how natural selection works.
The study was carried out by zombie ant researchers William Beckerson, Maite Goebbels and Charissa de Bekker. The findings were later published in the European Journal of STEM Education.
The researchers examined whether a virtual reality game could help people understand evolutionary principles without directly employing terms such as evolution or natural selection. The study focused on concerns that some individuals either reject or misunderstand evolutionary science because of religious or political beliefs.
The research team also noted that teaching evolution can be difficult in some instructional environments because the topic may provoke emotional reactions. The game was therefore designed to present evolutionary phenomena through gameplay instead of direct instruction.
The study described evolution as a continuous process observable in everyday life. One example highlighted by the researchers was the development of multidrug-resistant microorganisms linked to the misuse and overuse of antibiotics.
The game replicates the real-life behaviour of the fungus Ophiocordyceps, which infects ants and alters their actions. Players begin the game as fungal spores and attempt to infect an ant successfully.
Once infected, the ant is guided away from its colony so the infection remains unnoticed. The player must then manipulate the ant into climbing a nearby plant and attaching itself permanently to vegetation. After this stage, the fungus emerges from the ant as a mushroom-like structure that releases spores.
The spores spread from an elevated position, increasing the chance of infecting additional ants through the wind. The game follows the same sequence repeatedly as players attempt to complete each stage successfully.
Gameplay also involves repeated failure and restart cycles. When a mission fails, the player begins again as a new fungal spore. The researchers found that this trial-and-error structure appeared to help participants better understand the principles of natural selection.
Participants completed questionnaires before and after playing the game. One multiple-choice question in both questionnaires was used to measure understanding of disease evolution.
Before playing the game, only eight of the 28 participants selected the correct Darwinian answer. After gameplay, 17 of the 28 participants chose the correct response.
The study also recorded changes among individuals who had initially selected creationist answers. Six of the seven participants who chose a creationist response before gameplay selected the correct Darwinian answer after playing the game.
The research team conducted the tests over several weekends at the University Museum Utrecht. Although many visitors played the game, only people aged 12 and older were included in the analysis.
The researchers stated that relatively few teenagers visited the museum with their parents, which reduced the size of the study group. Despite the limited number of participants, the team observed clear trends in the results.
The museum sessions also created opportunities for discussions with visitors about parasites and evolution. According to the researchers, the game encouraged both children and parents to ask questions connected to the scientific themes outlined in the project.
The work involved collaboration between specialists from different academic fields. Beckerson had previously conducted education-related research in biology through the field of Discipline-based Education Research. However, the team required additional expertise to develop a virtual reality game.
To support the project, the researchers worked with John Murray, Assistant Professor of Digital Media at the University of Central Florida in the United States. The initial version of the game was developed by students during a bachelor-level course taught by Murray.
Additional students later refined different parts of the project. Some focused on creating ant models, while others worked on movement systems and gameplay improvements based on earlier public testing.
Although the game was first developed in the United States, further development took place in the Netherlands. Brendan Miller, a Master’s student from Utrecht University’s Game & Media Technology programme, contributed to the later version of the game. The programme is described as the only Master’s course in game research in the Netherlands.
The project also received financial support through Utrecht University’s Public Engagement Seed Fund. Beckerson received funding to adapt the game for Dutch audiences and to examine whether it could improve science literacy.
