There are lots of apps and open source efforts that put your unused Mac processing power to good use, but now that we’re shifting away from desktops and onto iPads and iPhones we wanted to know if all that tapping on a touchscreen can change the world.
The countless hours you’ve invested into Flappy Bird won’t get you much more than a shiny platinum medal, but here are five iOS apps that are fun to play and help you do some good in the world in the process.
Play To Cure: Genes In Space
Computer processing power is providing tons of heavy lifting for cancer research, but there are still some tasks computers don’t perform as well as humans, like recognizing visual patterns.
As part of the search for a cure to cancer, scientists across the planet are painstakingly analyzing thousands of cancer samples for genetic faults, but in a clever move to help speed up the work, Cancer Research UK has developed a game that lets gamers help.
In Play to Cure: Genes in Space players pilot a spaceship through the galaxy to harvest Dubbed Element Alpha, a newly discovered substance refined for use in medicine, engineering, construction and everything else. The thrill of blasting asteroids while scrambling through hoops at speeds faster than the speed of light provide players with hours of entertainment, but groups of gamers provide scientists with quick analysis of a cancer data set that would otherwise take hours with only one set of eyes.
Plotting points of density on the data set to steer your spaceship towards Element Alpha gives scientists more accurate results, which could be crucial in moving us toward the day all cancers are cured.
iTunes – Free
Quingo
Quingo combines trivia with aspects of bingo in a free-to-play game where are portion of the money raised from in-app purchases goes to benefit charities of your choice. The game spits out trivia questions with multiple answers on the board. The combination of quizzing and bingo is where it gets its awkward name, but the gameplay is actually pretty cool and challenging.
iTunes – Free
Sidekick Cycle
In a slightly meta move, developer Global Gaming Initiative’s Sidekick Cycle, a downhill-racing bicycle title, is using the money it raises to give children in Africa the opportunity to hurtle dangerously down steep hills on bikes of their own.
Alright, they probably prefer that the kids don’t do that, but it is certainly an option available to them.
The charity is dedicating half of its sales to the project, and it costs about $134 to build and deliver a single bike. This means that at its current price, the app generates one bicycle per 209 downloads.
iTunes – $1.99
Budge
We all make silly 5 buck bets with friends that they will/or won’t be able to do something, but rather than cycling your petty change through you and your friends’ pockets, Budge lets you put those bets to good use.
The app links to your Facebook friends so you can make bets of $10, $5, or $1 where the loser donates to their charity of choice. You can also make make bets public so others can compete in your challenge.
iTunes – Free
Charity Miles
OMG bikini season is almost here, which means if you’re anything like me you’re pounding out 10 to 15 miles a week to get toned and in shape for that perfect summer bod. Well, maybe it won’t be the perfect bod, but you can put all your movement to good use too.
Charity Miles allows you to earn money for the charity of your choice by walking or biking out miles. On a short 30- minute walk with my dog I raked in $0.43, but you can also bike and earn 10 cents a mile, otherwise you get 25 cents when walking or running.
They just came out with an update that added teams so you can join forces with your friends to bike-away autism. If you’d like to join our team, just type in @cultofmac in the My Teams section.
iTunes – Free
