Svein-Gunnar Johansen
Department of Computer Science, University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway, Tromsø, Norway / Norwegian Centre for eHealth Research, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
Eirik Årsand
Norwegian Centre for eHealth Research, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
Gunnar Hartvigsen
Norwegian Centre for eHealth Research, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø, Norway
Download article
Published in: Proceedings from The 16th Scandinavian Conference on Health Informatics 2018, Aalborg, Denmark August 28–29, 2018
Linköping Electronic Conference Proceedings 107:2, p. 7-10
Published: 2018-08-24
ISBN: 978-91-7685-213-2
ISSN: 1650-3686 (print), 1650-3740 (online)
Computer games can teach children a number of skills. But in order to cultivate enough engagement so that players will want to learn, the games must be sufficiently entertaining. Making good computer games is not trivial, and also not something strictly sticking to a method or script can accomplish. In the CADMOS project, we have tried to tap into kids’ general interest and fascination with computer games, to teach children aged 8-12 with Type 1 diabetes how to deal with their condition in an optimal way. This will be achieved by the use of serious games that are easy to understand, yet fun to play, where they can experiment with variable treatments of their own illness in a safe space on virtual avatars instead of themselves. We also want to achieve synergistic integration with other diabetes-related treatment and self-management tools, which are already being used by children in the target group. Furthermore, it is a goal that the children’s friends and family members should also be able to participate in the game and thereby gain a better understanding of what it means to live with diabetes. In this paper we show how we can get closer to this goal by designing the game iteratively together with members of our user group.
[1] Chomutare T, Johansen S-G, Årsand E, and Hartvigsen G. Serious Game Co-design for Children with Type 1 Diabetes. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 2016;226:83-6. PMID: 27350472
[2] Makhlysheva A: A mobile phone-based serious game for children with Type 1 diabetes. Master’s thesis in Telemedicine and e-Health. June 2013. University of Tromsø. (2013)
[3] Makhlysheva A, Årsand E, Varmedal R, Leknessund A, and Hartvigsen G. Use of Patient-Recorded Data in a Smartphone-based Game for Children with Diabetes. Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics. 2014, 16(S1): A-116 - A-117
[4] Rønningen IC: Exploring In-Game Rewards in the Diaquarium: A Serious Game for Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. Master’s thesis in Computer Science. December 2016. University of Tromsø – The Arctic University of Norway. (2016)
[5] Rønningen IC, Årsand E, and Hartvigsen G. Exploring In-Game Reward Mechanisms in Diaquarium – A Serious Game for Children with Type 1 Diabetes. Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics (LNBI) (Subseries of Lecture Notes in Computer Science). 2018, Vol. 10814, pp. 443-455. (ISSN 0302-9743)
[6] Årsand E, Makhlysheva A, Bradway M, Chomutare T, Johansen S-G, Blixgård H, and Hartvigsen G. Serious Gaming in Diabetes: Combining Apps and Gaming Principles in a Holistic Diabetes Environment. Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics. February 2016, 18(S1): A-86.
[7] Makhlysheva A, Årsand E, and Hartvigsen G. Review of Serious Games for People with Diabetes. Book chapter in: Novak, D., Tulu, B., Brendryen, H. (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Holistic Perspectives in Gamification for Clinical Practice. pp. 412-447). Hershey, PA: IGI Global, 2016. (DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-9522-1.ch019) (ISBN13: 9781466695221)
[8] Nobel Web AB. The Diabetic Dog Game. Available: http://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/insulin/index.html 2010 (Cited: 18.05.18)
[9] Medtronic. Carb Counting with Lenny. Available: http://www.lenny-diabetes.com/carb-counting-withlenny.html (2011) (Cited: 18.05.18)
[10] Nobelpriskampen: http://nobelpriskampen.se/2009/diabetes_insulin/ 2009. (Cited: 18.05.18)
[11] Johansen S-G, Makhlysheva A, Årsand E, Bradway M, and Hartvigsen G. Designing motivational and educational diabetes video games involving children as a creative resource. Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics. February 2016, 18(S1): A-92.
