The #WaspLove Computer Game

Step into the shoes of a wasp colony — see how well you can raise a successful colony. WARNING: this computer game is highly addictive!

Seirian’s NERC grant funded research into the molecular basis of a major transition in evolution, using wasps as a model — sequencing genomes, transcriptomes and proteomes, and gathering behavioural field data on wasps from around the world. For the grant’s “Pathways to Impact” plan, rather than force-fitting a societal-impact story onto pure research, she decided to make a computer game to help people learn about the amazing lives of social wasps.

Thanks to the skills, artistry and perseverance of Amber and Dave at Fo.am, the WaspLove game went live in 2020 — open source and free to play at wasplove.com. It’s based on the well-studied European paper wasp, Polistes dominula, and includes real traits of these societies: seasonal constraints on colony survival, the need to build up a worker force before producing sexuals, the risks of foraging (rain, predators, pesticides), nest predators and parasites, and the cost of “sneaky” worker-laid eggs. The goal: build up your nest, successfully produce sexual offspring who disperse and mate, and overwinter ready to found a new nest the following spring.

The game went viral on social media on release, played by everyone from kids to PhD students to dedicated gamers, with over 3,900 games played in the first two weeks alone. It’s since been installed as an interactive exhibit at the Eden Project, which sees over a million visitors a year.

Play now

Playing up here a bit small? Open the game fullscreen at wasplove.com.