Strategize your science game!

Why is it that certain things come naturally to us when gaming but are hard to do when working? What if we treat our work and scientific projects like a board game?

Imagine yourself playing a game. Quite automatically, you set yourself certain objectives, think about your next move, and manage your supplies, skills & currency. And if you don't know the game so well, you improve your skills with every round.

So, let's play a game. Let's look at your work like you we would look at a game:

What's in the rulebook?

What is the storyline? What is the main objective? What are the side quests? For a game that might be a chain of events and winning points. For your work this could be answering main scientific questions. And of course there are deadlines and administrative hurdles.

Who are you?

As a player? What is your level (of scientific experience)? What are your strengths and weaknesses? You can't write a paper when you're hungry? Plan for it ??????

Do you have a special skill? Something only you excel in? Then leverage it - whenever it is the right move to make.

Are you missing any skills that you might need? Just because you earned some badges, doesn't mean your learning-period is over yet! Think about visualizing your skill-progress in a skill tree: What do you need to learn to get to the next level of expertise?

What is your mission?

Depending of the kind of game you are playing, a cooperative or competitive one, there might be different objectives to fulfill. Is the mission to beat the end-boss or to build a realm?

What is your strategy?

Be aware, that you need a strategy that fits to your skill, level, and expertise. What is the short-term strategy to reach the next level, and what's the long-term strategy to reach the finish line? Don't die in beauty - done is better than perfect.

Manage your resources

What do you need for your project? Any special potion you need before you can start your campaign? Having everything ready and at hand, makes work easier. When do you need which sample, do you need to block some instrument time, is there enough money to buy chemicals and supplies, do you have enough time to finish the next batch?

But: The more you carry, the slower you get (Skyrim Players know what I am talking about...). So, concentrate on the essentials and only the items you need for your target in sight.

Manage your horde

If you want to go far, go together: Recruit a team (colleagues, students, supervisors, collaboration partners) with complementary skills, levels, and abilities. And sometimes it is just good to know, that you are in this together.

Ask yourself: Is the site quest worth it?

We've all been there: A side quest promises a shiny bonus object. But is it worth to dig into that specific side quest? And let's face it: there are way too many in every science project! You would have to invest resources, but maybe you gain something that makes your mission easier. Invest? Or rather stick to the main story line?

Be aware of you HP

You need a certain amount of XP (expertise) to handle a level. But you also need enough HP (health points). If your health-bar is empty, the game is over ?? Breaks are important parts of your project as well. Players know, potions (coffee ??) fills up your HP only short-term, rests fill it up sustainably.

Just like in any game: Along the way you will gain experience and level-up your player. You will find new tools to add to your skill set for example - be it a new measurement technique, communication skills with collaboration partners, or a working synthesis route for a new material.

You will receive new achievements in form of publications, funding, rewards.

But most of all you will have fun while playing your scientific project - at least this is why I love both things: science and games alike.

#yourfriendlyphysicist in collaboration with Cornelia Boehm