A new desktop game is turning parasitic wasps into unlikely heroes. Released Sept. 9, on the digital platform Steam, The Crawling Dead introduces players to biology topics and the crucial role of this insect species in controlling pests and benefiting the environment.
Led by UCF Professor of Biology Barbara Sharanowski and developed by computer science undergraduate students, the new game blends research with interactive learning.
“My work on parasitic wasps and their symbiotic viruses forms the foundation for the game and other outreach efforts designed to engage the public with biology in a fun and accessible way,” Sharanowski says.
The game was created by computer science senior students as part of their capstone project under the supervision of Associate Lecturer of Computer Science Matthew Gerber, with Sharanowski providing the concept. It represents the second phase of development, with an earlier senior group of students building the original concept and the second group advancing it into a fully playable desktop version.
“The students coded, designed and refined the game, which was initially envisioned as a virtual reality experience but shifted to a desktop game due to delays from the COVID-19 pandemic,” Sharanowski says.
In the game, players take on the role of scientists tasked with protecting a national park by designing custom wasps to control invasive pests.
“The goal as a scientist is to save the park by releasing specially designed wasps with beneficial features like paralytic venom, long ovipositors or even mind control, that make them more effective at targeting host species such as caterpillars, beetles and aphids,” she says.
Along the way, players encounter educational blurbs that explain these traits and reinforce the idea that not all wasps sting and many are actually beneficial to humans and ecosystems.
“These wasps can be endoparasitic, developing inside their host, or ectoparasitic, developing outside the host,” Sharanowski says. “You can find them all around the world, including in our backyards, and they serve an important role in nature as natural agents of pest control, thereby reducing the need for pesticides.”
The project was funded through the U.S. National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Rules of Life Initiative, which brings together multiple NSF divisions to address the fundamental questions about how living systems function and evolve.
According to Sharanowski, parasitic wasps are one of the most varied lineages on Earth, with more species than all vertebrates combined.
“For every insect that’s out there, there’s likely one or more parasitic wasps that attack it,” she says.
Her research explores the unique symbiosis between wasps and viruses.
“Over time, some viruses have become integrated into the genomes of certain parasitic wasps, effectively making the virus and wasp a single organism,” Sharanowski says. “The virus no longer replicates independently — its reproduction is tied to the wasp’s. When a female wasp lays an egg inside a host, the virions enter the host and activate viral genes that manipulate the host’s immune system and behavior, benefiting the developing wasp.”
This wasp-virus relationship has evolved multiple times and remains a central focus of her research.
As a first-generation college graduate, Sharanowski says this project has been a way to share her passion for entomology and science, as well as to provide educational opportunities for people to learn about wasps in a fun way.
“One of my core values as an educator is to make science engaging,” she says. “I enjoy doing campus and community outreach to show how fascinating these insects are, and I believe this game does that.”
She also highlighted UCF’s Collection of Arthropods, commonly known as the Bug Closet, as a public resource preserving and showcasing the biodiversity of insects in Central Florida.
Looking ahead, Sharanowski says a third group of students is currently working on a mobile version of the game, expected to launch later this year.
“There is so much beauty out there, and I want people to see how fascinating bugs are and the important role they play in ecosystems,” she says.
