Human Brain Cells Learn to Play Classic Game Doom

Scientists just taught a tiny clump of human brain cells to play a video game, and it could change how we treat disease.

Researchers at Cortical Labs in Australia successfully trained about 200,000 living human neurons to play Doom, the iconic 1990s shooter game. The cells grow on a silicon chip roughly the size of a coin, creating what the company calls the world's first biological computer.

The neurons came from CEO Hon Weng Chong's blood donation. Scientists extracted white blood cells and reprogrammed them into stem cells, essentially rewinding their biological clock to an embryonic state before turning them into neurons.

Here's how it works: the team maps the video game feed into patterns that stimulate the neurons with electricity. When a demon appears on the left side of the screen, electrodes stimulate the left side of the cell cluster's sensory area. The cells respond with electrical spikes, which get translated into game commands like shooting or moving.

The cells aren't winning any gaming tournaments yet. They die frequently and play like someone who's never touched a computer before, which is technically accurate.

But they're learning. The neurons show clear evidence of seeking out enemies, shooting, and spinning around. They perform better than random chance, proving they can actually interact with their environment in meaningful ways.

This follows Cortical Labs' earlier success teaching 800,000 cells to play Pong in 2021. Another research team recently taught mouse brain cells to balance a pole on a moving cart, an even more complex task that demonstrates rapid progress in training living neural systems.

Why This Inspires

Beyond nostalgic video games, this technology opens doors for revolutionary medical treatments. Scientists can now test epilepsy drugs on neurons grown outside the human body, speeding up drug discovery without putting patients at risk.

Even more exciting: doctors could potentially tailor medications at a personal level. Imagine growing your own neurons on a chip to test which treatment works best for your specific condition before you take a single pill.

The research also helps scientists understand how neurons learn and adapt. While experts don't fully grasp how the cells know what's expected of them or what they're seeing on screen, each experiment brings new insights into the mysterious workings of biological intelligence.

Chong wants to tackle Pokémon next, but the real game-changer lies in using these biological computers for disease modeling and personalized healthcare. What started as teaching cells to play retro games might end up saving lives through precisely targeted treatments designed just for you.