Re-mission - a game for kids by kids

Typical Carcinoid by Yale Rosen is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Computer Games have been around for a while and have generally had a mixed welcome. Many consider it as a plain waste of time, but kids(now the average age of a gamer is 33!) enjoy them. As recent studies show that there are pros and not just cons to gaming, many are slowly coming on board. There are some who have taken the game to new levels - in fact the benefits are felt at the cellular level!

Re-mission is a game conceived by Pam Omidyar. It was developed by game designers with input from a bunch of people we would never associate with gaming - cancer patients, oncology doctors and nurses. The target audience? Young cancer patients.

About the game

Released in 2006, it's about how well a player can control 'Roxxi', a nanobot which is injected into the human body to fight certain types of cancers at a cellular level. The weapons available are the antibiotic rocket, chemoblaster and the radiation gun. There are 20 levels to inform patients about treatment available and the associated procedures, to which a strict adherence is required. Patient health must be monitored by the player and results reported to an in-house doctor.

Benefits to the target audience

The game was used in 34 centers in the US, Australia and Canada, and patients(mostly young adult) monitored for psychological and behavioral changes associated with cancer treatment, over 3 months. In comparison with the control group, the patients who played this game significantly improved their behavioral pattern, maintained higher levels of chemotherapy in their blood and stayed on the antibiotics prescribed. The game had a remarkable effect on a biological level.

Not only did the game Re-mission bring the young participants pleasure in playing the game, it helped build confidence in them that they could fight the cancer. It also helped them understand their cancer and what was required to fight it.

The second version the game has games to build a positive attitude and therefore an adherence to treatment routines. The online games are free and available in many countries. Here are some Play with Purpose games from the people behind Re-mission.