Introduction
The game I played is EteRNA, developed by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and Stanford University, with early leadership by Jeehyung Lee, Dr. Adrien Treuille, and Dr. Rhiju Das. It launched in 2011 and has since grown into a global online project.
At its core, EteRNA is a puzzle game about RNA folding. Players manipulate nucleotides (A, U, C, G) to create stable RNA structures that can be tested in real laboratories. Though it looks like a colorful logic puzzle, the game is designed to generate real-world scientific insight into how RNA behaves.
History and Scientific Context
According to their history page, the inspiration for EteRNA came from Foldit, a protein-folding game. At RosettaCon 2009, the founders envisioned a similar platform for RNA, combining online puzzles with an open laboratory. By 2011, the project launched, bringing together software developers at CMU and experimental scientists at Stanford.
Over the years, EteRNA has expanded into more complex “switch” puzzles, riboswitch design, and even medically relevant challenges such as OpenTB (diagnosing tuberculosis), OpenCRISPR (safer gene editing), and OpenVaccine (mRNA stability for COVID-19). Players have often outperformed computer algorithms, contributing strategies that shaped new design tools like “Eternabot.” The community has authored and co-authored published papers, won patents, and even organized annual gatherings called Eternacon.
This mix of game, lab, and community makes EteRNA a rare example of a serious game that directly drives ongoing research.
What Kinds of Play It Uses
EteRNA primarily uses puzzle play and strategic play. Each puzzle challenges players to optimize designs under strict rules, encouraging trial-and-error and abstract reasoning. There is also some aspects of social play, since players collaborate in the open chat (visible in Fig. 1 in the top-right). Unlike role-play or narrative-driven games, however, the focus stays on intellectual problem solving.
Applying the MDAO Framework
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Mechanics: The game provides nucleotides, folding rules, and puzzle constraints. Mechanics define valid base-pairing (A-U, C-G), structural goals, and lab testing cycles.
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Dynamics: From these rules emerge patterns of trial-and-error design, optimization, and community collaboration. Leaderboards and forums create competition and knowledge-sharing dynamics.
Fig 2. A leaderboard adds a competitive dynamic to the game.
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Aesthetics: Rather than narrative or fantasy, EteRNA emphasizes the aesthetics of discovery and fellowship. Some players find this deeply rewarding, while I personally found it repetitive and disengaging. While EteRNA tries to emphasizes the aesthetics of challenge and discovery, I found these repetitive rather than engaging. The puzzles lacked variety, which made the experience feel more tedious than motivating. The game failed to immerse me into a “flow” feeling due to how easy it felt. Additionally there lacked any narrative or sensation within this game. Though, I can see how it may appeal to its target audience of scientists.
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Outcomes: The outcomes are ambitious. EteRNA aims to build information (about RNA folding), explicit skills (logic, sequencing, scientific reasoning), and even behavioral outcomes like self-efficacy—players feeling that they can contribute meaningfully to science. The strongest outcome is its tangible research impact: RNA designs from players have been tested, published, and used to tackle pressing challenges like COVID-19.
Conclusion
Through the lens of the MDAO framework, EteRNA shows the potential and limits of serious games. Its mechanics and outcomes are tightly connected to real-world science, its dynamics foster collaboration, and its aesthetics appeal to those who enjoy challenge and discovery. Though as my own experience shows, if the aesthetics don’t align with a player’s motivation, players can still lack motivation when playing the game, leading to disengagement. Still, the history and achievements of EteRNA highlight how games can go beyond entertainment to shape scientific progress and community-driven discovery. This contrast highlights how serious games must balance mechanics with aesthetics. Even when a game achieves meaningful outcomes in research, it risks losing players if the experience feels boring or monotonous.
