A Cell Biology Game | |
---|---|
Designers | John Coveyou |
Illustrators | Tomasz Bogusz |
Publishers | Genius Games |
Publication | 2017 |
Players | 2–5 |
Playing time | 60–90 minutes |
Age range | 10+ |
Website | www |
Cytosis is a cell biology worker placement board game designed by John Coveyou and published in 2017 by Genius Games. [1] The game's development was funded via a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter. [2]
The objective of the game is to ensure the health of a human cell by managing its operations. The board represents a cell in which are located various organelles that are sites of player actions. [3] Around the edge of the board is a scoring track. There are coloured cubes representing various macromolecules within the cell: carbohydrates (green), lipids (yellow), messenger RNA (mRNA, black), and proteins (red). The sets of cards are split into Cell Component cards, Event cards, and Goal cards. [4]
The cards are separated by type and shuffled, then four Cell Component cards are placed on the appropriate area of the game board, three to five randomly selected Goal cards are placed at the top of the game board, and players place one of their tokens at the zero space of the scoring track. The starting player receives two adenosine triphosphate (ATP) tokens, and each subsequent player one more ATP token than the player preceding them. Each player also selects to keep one of the three Cell Component cards that were dealt to them, shuffling the others into the draw pile. [4]
Each turn, a player places their flask token on a chosen organelle and executes the prescribed action. [3] These actions enable the player to collect resources such as carbohydrates or ATP, or to acquire Cell Component cards. [1] This requires multiple steps and multiple turns to simulate the process of protein synthesis. [3]
Players acquire health points by completing the actions listed on Cell Component cards, such as assembling enzymes and hormones or hormone receptors. [1] These are then deployed to defend the cell from viral infection. [2] Health points are the game's victory points. [1]
The Virus expansion set includes additional Cell Component, Event, and Goal cards, and also includes pink antibody cubes, dice, and player mats. [4]
The game has been endorsed by the Journal of Cell Science . [1]
Alex Rosenwald, in a review for Board Game Quest, stated that the concept of protein synthesis "shines through in all facets of gameplay", with the game mechanics and organelle cell functions aligning into an "immersive experience of creating and transporting various chemicals in and out of the cells". [3] He also stated that the game's basis in science is "hit-or-miss" amongst players, with "no real grey area for ambivalence". [3]
In a review for Meeple Mountain, David McMillan stated the gameplay distracts players from the background educational aspect of the game, and that it "performs brilliantly" in terms of both appeal and engagement. [4]
The cell is the basic structural and functional unit of all forms of life. Every cell consists of cytoplasm enclosed within a membrane; many cells contain organelles, each with a specific function. The term comes from the Latin word cellula meaning 'small room'. Most cells are only visible under a microscope. Cells emerged on Earth about 4 billion years ago. All cells are capable of replication, protein synthesis, and motility.
Cell biology is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living and functioning of organisms. Cell biology is the study of the structural and functional units of cells. Cell biology encompasses both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells and has many subtopics which may include the study of cell metabolism, cell communication, cell cycle, biochemistry, and cell composition. The study of cells is performed using several microscopy techniques, cell culture, and cell fractionation. These have allowed for and are currently being used for discoveries and research pertaining to how cells function, ultimately giving insight into understanding larger organisms. Knowing the components of cells and how cells work is fundamental to all biological sciences while also being essential for research in biomedical fields such as cancer, and other diseases. Research in cell biology is interconnected to other fields such as genetics, molecular genetics, molecular biology, medical microbiology, immunology, and cytochemistry.
The endomembrane system is composed of the different membranes (endomembranes) that are suspended in the cytoplasm within a eukaryotic cell. These membranes divide the cell into functional and structural compartments, or organelles. In eukaryotes the organelles of the endomembrane system include: the nuclear membrane, the endoplasmic reticulum, the Golgi apparatus, lysosomes, vesicles, endosomes, and plasma (cell) membrane among others. The system is defined more accurately as the set of membranes that forms a single functional and developmental unit, either being connected directly, or exchanging material through vesicle transport. Importantly, the endomembrane system does not include the membranes of plastids or mitochondria, but might have evolved partially from the actions of the latter.
In cell biology, a granule is a small particle barely visible by light microscopy. The term is most often used to describe a secretory vesicle containing important components of cell phyisology. Examples of granules include granulocytes, platelet granules, insulin granules, germane granules, starch granules, and stress granules.
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Zombies!!! is a tile-based strategy board game for two to six players. Zombies!!! won the 2001 Origins Award for Best Graphic Presentation of a Board Game, and Zombies!!! 3: Mall Walkers won 2003's Origins Award for Best Board Game Expansion.
Endoplasm generally refers to the inner, dense part of a cell's cytoplasm. This is opposed to the ectoplasm which is the outer (non-granulated) layer of the cytoplasm, which is typically watery and immediately adjacent to the plasma membrane. The nucleus is separated from the endoplasm by the nuclear envelope. The different makeups/viscosities of the endoplasm and ectoplasm contribute to the amoeba's locomotion through the formation of a pseudopod. However, other types of cells have cytoplasm divided into endo- and ectoplasm. The endoplasm, along with its granules, contains water, nucleic acids, amino acids, carbohydrates, inorganic ions, lipids, enzymes, and other molecular compounds. It is the site of most cellular processes as it houses the organelles that make up the endomembrane system, as well as those that stand alone. The endoplasm is necessary for most metabolic activities, including cell division.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to cell biology:
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