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Video Game Helps Farmers Fight Disease

Kerry Hensley

   Video games aren't just for fun -- they can also be used to fight
   disease, new research shows.

   Scientists combined video games and computer models to show that the
   spread of a deadly pig disease can be slowed if farmers avoid risky
   behaviors. The authors say insights from the video games could be used
   to encourage people to follow rules, in the swine industry and beyond.

   Since its emergence 40 years ago, porcine epidemic diarrhea virus
   (PEDV) has swept through pig farms in Europe, Asia and North America.
   When PEDV erupted in the U.S. in 2013, it wiped out 7 million pigs. "A
   thimbleful of this virus could infect every single pig in the United
   States," said Scott Merrill, a professor in the Department of Plant and
   Soil Science at the University of Vermont who was second author on the
   study.

   PEDV is especially harmful to young pigs.

   "More than 90 percent of [infected] piglets would die," said lead
   author Gabriela Bucini, a postdoctoral researcher.

   Merrill added, "We've seen and had discussions where people decided
   that they're not going to work in the industry anymore because of PEDV,
   because it was just really hard to see this many animals get sick and
   die."

   While PEDV remains a threat to U.S. pig populations, its incidence has
   dropped since 2013. The researchers attributed the decline to a change
   in how farmers and other members of the production pipeline implemented
   safety protocols, such as disinfecting vehicles, clothing and footwear
   that could transmit infection between farms.

   It's clear that those protocols play an important part in preventing
   the spread of swine diseases, but until now there hasn't been a way to
   measure just how important.

   Virtual pig farms

   Bucini and her team used video games to tackle this problem.

   [1]In one game, players assume the role of pig farmers and try to
   complete tasks while preventing their pigs from being infected with a
   contagious virus. As they complete the tasks, players are reminded of
   the risk of infection and are given the option to obey or ignore safety
   protocols like disinfecting clothing when entering and exiting
   buildings. Complying with safety protocols decreases the odds of
   infection, but uses up valuable time.

   The games provided insight into how people behave in the real world,
   which the researchers incorporated into a model of PEDV transmission to
   track how the disease would spread -- and learn how best to contain it.
   One of the key variables was the number of farmers who avoided risk by
   following the recommended safety protocols.

   "We did find that by nudging or shifting the population of producers
   toward more risk-averse positions, the disease was more under control,"
   Bucini said.

References

   1. https://segs.w3.uvm.edu/ComplianceSeriousGame/

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