Healthcare professionals are the backbone of our healthcare system. The nursing sector in particular is faced with the challenge of recruiting new trainees. The Covid pandemic has made the shortage of skilled workers even more apparent. Therefore, the attractiveness and social importance of the healthcare professions must be communicated to the general public. Often, people only think of nursing care for the elderly or the sick, but healthcare professions include interesting and diverse activities within the entire healthcare system.
For this reason, Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and the Foundation for Digital Games Culture invited experts from the healthcare sector and the field of game development to the online Healthcare Game Jam from 12 to 14 November 2021. In this format, we wanted to show how games may motivate young people to take up a healthcare profession and sought to educate the general public about the important contribution of healthcare professionals.
The seven groups within the Healthcare Game Jam developed the following ideas and prototypes:
Defeat Germs
Mitglieder:
In 'Defeat Germs' you are a fictional supporter of the medical staff whose appearance can be customised right from the start. The game involves playing mini-games, each lasting about five minutes. These mini-games are based on actual activities of the health professions, such as fighting pathogens or visualising hygiene during operations. Here, the classic video game ‘Space Invaders’ is taken as a model. The story integrates real stories from the everyday life of the health professions, e.g. dealing with the suffering of patients’ relatives.
Mitglieder:
- Alicia Lancia
In 'Defeat Germs' you are a fictional supporter of the medical staff whose appearance can be customised right from the start. The game involves playing mini-games, each lasting about five minutes. These mini-games are based on actual activities of the health professions, such as fighting pathogens or visualising hygiene during operations. Here, the classic video game ‘Space Invaders’ is taken as a model. The story integrates real stories from the everyday life of the health professions, e.g. dealing with the suffering of patients’ relatives.
Medical Madness
Mitglieder:
Based on games such as ‘Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes’, the team created a prototype that is characterised by asymmetrical gameplay and cooperation as important game elements. In the role of caregivers on a home emergency call, two players have to find out what the patient needs and what his or her name is. There is a manual with important information on each patient. You get this information by interacting with the game environment and characters, e.g. taking a patient’s blood pressure.
Mitglieder:
- Nino Brugger
- Felix Lücker
- Tobias Müller
Based on games such as ‘Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes’, the team created a prototype that is characterised by asymmetrical gameplay and cooperation as important game elements. In the role of caregivers on a home emergency call, two players have to find out what the patient needs and what his or her name is. There is a manual with important information on each patient. You get this information by interacting with the game environment and characters, e.g. taking a patient’s blood pressure.
Ethic Parcours
Mitglieder:
In this prototype, you can immerse yourself in a situation from a trainee’s everyday nursing life, exploring the environment, collecting objects, interacting with people and making decisions that can have different consequences. Cards can be found in the game to help you make decisions. During the game, you are also confronted with situations that are ethically ambiguous. The aim is to give young people and those interested in the health professions insights into this area of work in a playful way.
Mitglieder:
- Martha Friedrich
- Thomas Sonnenberg
- Maria Vrampaki
In this prototype, you can immerse yourself in a situation from a trainee’s everyday nursing life, exploring the environment, collecting objects, interacting with people and making decisions that can have different consequences. Cards can be found in the game to help you make decisions. During the game, you are also confronted with situations that are ethically ambiguous. The aim is to give young people and those interested in the health professions insights into this area of work in a playful way.
Alienated (jury prize winner)
Mitglieder:
The winning entry, ‘Alienated’, takes you out of your everyday life and gives you the feeling of suddenly being ‘lost in space’. Interaction with external and internal extraterrestrials symbolises both the experience of illness and dealing with health professionals. You experience the situation as a person suffering from a stroke. With each decision, you can take a step to overcoming the initial situation.
As in patients’ real lives, some things only become clear through a change of perspective that allows you a view behind the curtain. You get to know previously experienced situations and behaviours better, discover activities and processes that run hidden in the background and can actively influence the course of the illness in a positive way.
Click here for the game
Mitglieder:
- Tina Ellerhausen
- Nele Koch
- Darije Lazovic
- Boris Mehl
- Corinna Schwarzer
- Anna Wanders
- Julian Weber
The winning entry, ‘Alienated’, takes you out of your everyday life and gives you the feeling of suddenly being ‘lost in space’. Interaction with external and internal extraterrestrials symbolises both the experience of illness and dealing with health professionals. You experience the situation as a person suffering from a stroke. With each decision, you can take a step to overcoming the initial situation.
As in patients’ real lives, some things only become clear through a change of perspective that allows you a view behind the curtain. You get to know previously experienced situations and behaviours better, discover activities and processes that run hidden in the background and can actively influence the course of the illness in a positive way.
Click here for the game
Paediatrician’s Office Simulator
Mitglieder:
As the nurse Mica, you manage a hospital corridor. The aim of the game is to work with the individual patients towards their personal care goals. On top of these goals, they also have other needs. These ‘side tasks’ guarantee long-term motivation during the game. The art style of the game is based on the well-known game series ‘Animal Crossing’ to appeal to the younger generation and ensure gender neutrality through the selection of ‘little animals’ as avatars. Inclusion and diversity are important elements of this game.
Mitglieder:
- Susanne Bataloff
- Felix Mundschenk
- Paula Shrayber
- Jan Suchanek
As the nurse Mica, you manage a hospital corridor. The aim of the game is to work with the individual patients towards their personal care goals. On top of these goals, they also have other needs. These ‘side tasks’ guarantee long-term motivation during the game. The art style of the game is based on the well-known game series ‘Animal Crossing’ to appeal to the younger generation and ensure gender neutrality through the selection of ‘little animals’ as avatars. Inclusion and diversity are important elements of this game.
Nurse Resource Manager
Mitglieder:
In this game, you can experience the everyday life of a nurse and learn about different work processes. At the same time, aspects such as time pressure, stress, etc. are addressed in a playful way.
Mitglieder:
- Henning Bahnsen
- Yella Woo
- Yoshua Woo
In this game, you can experience the everyday life of a nurse and learn about different work processes. At the same time, aspects such as time pressure, stress, etc. are addressed in a playful way.
Nursing Quest
Mitglieder:
• ‘Nursing Quest’ depicts the everyday life of a nurse over a total of five game days. You can create and individualise your own character. You play in different rooms and interact with other characters. During the game, you have to accompany patients in order to influence their healing progress. Through the conversations with the non-player characters, you receive important information that can make the difference between success and failure. The gameplay is supplemented by abstract mini-games that are intended to make the patient interaction more tangible. When you have completed the five days, you receive an overall evaluation along with an appeal to apply directly to become a nurse.
Mitglieder:
- Florian Bürger
- Oscar Freyer
- Desiree Herold
- Lisa Vladimirov
• ‘Nursing Quest’ depicts the everyday life of a nurse over a total of five game days. You can create and individualise your own character. You play in different rooms and interact with other characters. During the game, you have to accompany patients in order to influence their healing progress. Through the conversations with the non-player characters, you receive important information that can make the difference between success and failure. The gameplay is supplemented by abstract mini-games that are intended to make the patient interaction more tangible. When you have completed the five days, you receive an overall evaluation along with an appeal to apply directly to become a nurse.
In Cooperation with
