Cancer Research UK's First Free Mobile Gaming App To Help Cure Cancer: "PLAY TO CURE: GENES IN SPACE"

Play to Cure: Genes in Space is the world’s first FREE mobile game that uses the collective force of players to analyse real genetic data and help beat cancer sooner.

The game is essentially a Sci-Fi, arcade-style, action-adventure, in which players must explore the far reaches of deep space, identifying and collecting a mysterious substance called Element Alpha.

Players must take on the role of an employee of Bifrost Industries, one of the biggest traders of the substance, the main task  is to collect as much Element Alpha as they can and trade it for upgrades to your spacecraft to help you manoeuvre the asteroid filled space course.

Sounds interesting, right? But how does playing a video game actually help Cancer Research UK to beat cancer? Well, the collectible substance of Element Alpha within the game actually represents real genetic cancer data that scientists across the world analyse on a daily basis to detect the presence of anomalous cells, which could potentially be cancerous.

By collecting Element Alpha and navigating their spaceship through the cosmos, players are actually locating specific and significant genetic changes, which will help scientists to discover cancer causing genes and develop new life saving treatments.

By playing Genes in Space players will be contributing their own time to analysing significant amounts of genetic data which would have taken scientists hours to do.

The video below gives more details about the mobile gaming app and exactly how it can be used to identify various cancers. Please note, if you are having trouble viewing this video on your device,  CLICK HERE

 

The data analysis goes back to Cancer Research UK scientists at two key points: Firstly when Players map their route through the Element Alpha. Secondly when players fly their spaceship through the intergalactic space course to collect this substance.

Gaming has always been fun, but now Cancer Research UK have found a way to make it useful and important as well. If you would like to give the game a try, then it can be downloaded now from either the Google Play or the Apple App Store now.

'Playstation Phone' Has April 2011 Release Date?

Sony Ericsson has announced today that it will reveal its Playstation/Android mobile handset (now called the Xperia Play) to the world on the 13th February 2011 at the Mobile World Congress event, which is being held in Barcelona. The official reveal is expected to occur around 6PM British Time.

 News of the reveal comes after a lot of hype, speculation and debunking by various Playstation and Sony Ericsson officials. However, an advertisement for the product was recently released on YouTube and was also shown at the American Super Bowl this weekend, so an official announcement did somehow seem imminent.

It is not clear  exactly what details will be included in the Sony Ericsson reveal, but from what we know so far, the Xperia Play handset is capable of playing Android-powered mobile games and PS One games, although sadly it apparently will not feature PSP games. The Xperia Play will also be fully compatible with the newly announced Playstation Suite.

Furthermore, four major mobile phone providers (Vodafone,O2, T-mobile and Orange)  have now confirmed that they will be providing the Xperia Play, which according to a recent post by technology blog Pocket Lint, could be happening as soon as April 2011.

It is an exciting prospect and we at Mini Gamers are interested to see how the technology develops over the coming months. The move towards Mobile Gaming is growing more and more, and  this device is likely to be very popular when it launches.

So,what do you think? Will you be ordering your own Xperia Play in April?

Playstation Suite Announced...

Sony have been very busy over the past month or so, as well as announcing their new handheld console - The Sony NGP - Sony have also revealed plans for a new Playstation Suite for use with Android Smartphones and Android-powered tablet PCs.

The Playstation Suite (or PS suite as it is quickly becoming known) will act like a version of the Playstation Network Store and will first feature the original Playstation One game titles, with  new 'Android' store titles becoming available at a later date.

According to gaming website, Engadget, the new Playstation Suite is equipped with a "neutral" framework so that the featured games should eventually be compatible with all mobile phones.

Furthermore, it is reported that the store will come with a Quality Assurance scheme, which has been called PlayStation Certified. In translation, this means that developers who wish to feature their software in the Playstation Suite will have to meet certain standards of quality before they can be certified for inclusion.

Very little is known about the Playstation Suite at this time, but it is has already been developed for the new Sony handheld and is also likely to feature on the new Sony Ericsson Xperia Play (or 'PSP phone').

Although neither Sony Ericsson nor Sony PSP bosses have admitted that the phone is in development,Joystiq.com recently uncovered the following advertisement for the phone on YouTube:

Thus, it seems as though Sony is determined that its new gaming products should target the Mobile Gaming market, which became more prolific throughout 2010. 

Sony CEO, Jack Tretton recently spoke at the Playstation Meeting in Tokyo, saying: "We've always been about, what is the market? What is the opportunity? Seize the opportunity and differentiate yourself," [Source:http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/27/engadget-interview-sceas-jack-tretton-talks-sony-ngp-announce/]

Whatever your opinion about Sony's plans, the new Playstation Suite is certainly a very interesting idea. Mini Gamers looks forward to following the progress of all Sony's new gadgets as they develop.