From Players to Participants: Citizen Science and Video Games to Understand Cognition

Original Abstract

Citizen science is transforming how cognitive scientists study the human mind, and video games are at the heart of this shift. By embedding experimental tasks into engaging, game-like experiences, researchers can reach large, diverse populations while collecting rich behavioral data outside the lab. In this review, we explore how citizen science video games bridge the gap between players and participants, turning entertainment into large-scale cognitive research. Drawing on recent projects such as Sea Hero Quest and The Music Lab, we outline the key benefits of this approach: scalability, ecological validity, and public engagement. We also examine the challenges of designing games that are scientifically rigorous, ethically sound, and meaningful for both researchers and players. Through professional game developer insights, we highlight what it takes to develop a successful citizen science video game for cognitive science, and why this approach is still rare in the literature.