Welcome fellow traveller...
What is the Open Science Quest
The Open Science Quest is a set of fictional interactive stories that walk you through various elements of Open Science principles and practices. It is set in a futuristic world where people have settled on different planets, and scientists are exploring space in the hope of making groundbreaking discoveries.
Although the stories are interlinked and can be followed in order, each episode can be enjoyed independently. Each story introduces just one or two Open Science concepts, giving you the freedom to choose which elements you want to explore.
The Topics covered section of this site present the key take-away message for each story.
The Open Science Quest is an on-going project, which is why there is currently only one story created. More episodes are to come!
What is Open Science
Open science is a set of principles and practices that aim to make scientific research as openly accessible and reusable to everyone. It is an umbrella term that takes into considerations all stages of the research lifecycle, from openly sharing the study design or methods, to integrating citizens in parts of the research process itself; from changing the way researchers are assessed and get promoted, to making publications, data, code, softwares or any other research outputs available for anyone to read and/or reuse.
What is gamification
Open Science is such a broad topic, with so many elements that come into play, that it can be overwhelming deciding what to learn first and where to get the information from. While traditional ways of learning, such as guides, videos, lessons, etc. are common, there are new ways to help people understand and retain information around a topic. Gamification uses game-like elements or aspects of game-design to get people interested in a topic. It can be as simple as a quiz during an online workshop, to the creation of a themed escape-room.
Who is behind the Quest
The person behind the Open Science Quest is Jonathan England (they/them), an Open Science trainer and consultant that has a personal passion for board games. The Open Science Quest and the use of gamified activities in their teaching is a way to bring together that passion with their interest for Open Knowledge initiatives. Exploring novel ways of training others is a core element of who they are.
How it is made
Twine
The interactive stories presented on this site are created with Twine, an open-source tool often used for creating choose-your-own-adventure-style games, interactive fiction, and narrative-driven presentations. The file (.twee) of each episode is available under a CC0 licence.
The art
All the art on this site was AI-generated using Midjourney through a paid membership. In line with their copyright agreement, all the images belong to the original asset creator (Jonathan England), who has marked them with a CC0 1.0 Universal licence.
While the use of AI is primarily due to financial constraints preventing the commissioning of an artist, I firmly believe in the profound depth and authenticity that humans bring to their work. In the future, as resources permit, I am committed to hiring a human artist and replacing the current AI-generated pieces. While I love what AI can already do, I am dedicated to celebrating human creativity and showcasing the talents of artists who make our world more colourful and meaningful!