From June of 2004 to January of 2006, I worked on a game for the medical research company HopeLab, who performed a study with teenage cancer patients to develop a new kind of video game.
The result is Re-Mission, a serious game that taught me a lot about what these kids go through in the course of their treatment. In essence, the game demonstrates from the inside of the body the how's and why's of the importance of following your treatment regimen, and what happens if you don't.
From the Re-Mission website:
"A video game designed especially for kids with cancer might give them a feeling of power over their disease as they blast away at the cancer cells. And you could use top-notch research to test the game and see if it really would help the kids. That's exactly what Pam Omidyar imagined. And in 2001, she founded HopeLab to make this idea a reality.
The result, a game called Re-Mission (featuring Roxxi, the intrepid nanobot), is a challenging, 3D "shooter" with 20 levels that takes the player on a journey through the body of young patients with different kinds of cancer. Created by leading video game developers and animators in collaboration with scientific and medical consultants and HopeLab staff, this state-of-the-art game is designed to be cool and fun, while helping players to increase their personal knowledge about cancer and improve their confidence in their ability to manage their cancer.
...HopeLab rolled out a multi-center, controlled research study in the US, Canada and Australia to see if the game would have any impact on the kids with cancer who received Re-Mission compared to kids with cancer who received a different video game. HopeLab wanted to be sure that Re-Mission was safe and also see whether or not it might actually help kids with cancer who received it. Results of this exciting study will be reported in the coming weeks.
HopeLab has created www.Re-Mission.net to enable broad distribution of the game free of charge to young people with cancer, and to provide an open, interactive, online community for teens and young adults with cancer to support one another."
For other serious games, check out seriousgames.org!
The result is Re-Mission, a serious game that taught me a lot about what these kids go through in the course of their treatment. In essence, the game demonstrates from the inside of the body the how's and why's of the importance of following your treatment regimen, and what happens if you don't.
From the Re-Mission website:
"A video game designed especially for kids with cancer might give them a feeling of power over their disease as they blast away at the cancer cells. And you could use top-notch research to test the game and see if it really would help the kids. That's exactly what Pam Omidyar imagined. And in 2001, she founded HopeLab to make this idea a reality.
The result, a game called Re-Mission (featuring Roxxi, the intrepid nanobot), is a challenging, 3D "shooter" with 20 levels that takes the player on a journey through the body of young patients with different kinds of cancer. Created by leading video game developers and animators in collaboration with scientific and medical consultants and HopeLab staff, this state-of-the-art game is designed to be cool and fun, while helping players to increase their personal knowledge about cancer and improve their confidence in their ability to manage their cancer.
...HopeLab rolled out a multi-center, controlled research study in the US, Canada and Australia to see if the game would have any impact on the kids with cancer who received Re-Mission compared to kids with cancer who received a different video game. HopeLab wanted to be sure that Re-Mission was safe and also see whether or not it might actually help kids with cancer who received it. Results of this exciting study will be reported in the coming weeks.
HopeLab has created www.Re-Mission.net to enable broad distribution of the game free of charge to young people with cancer, and to provide an open, interactive, online community for teens and young adults with cancer to support one another."
For other serious games, check out seriousgames.org!
Cool!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely one for the resume.
ReplyDeleteYup!
ReplyDeleteI have to admit I was a little skeptical about the idea when I first heard about it, but I just watched the trailer, and it looks like it's actually fun to play!
Wow--you must feel really good about yourself right now. Or should!
ReplyDelete