An Oklahoma videogame developer is in the midst of creating a title designed to teach players how to manage diabetes.
Diagnosed himself with Type 1 diabetes at age 10, Adam Grantham and his company Game Equals Life just wrapped up a prototype of their first game, The Magi and The Sleeping Star. The title features a protagonist with diabetes, who must manage his carbohydrate ratio and insulin sensitivity in between battles against robot dragons.
Grantham told NewsOK that his plan was to flavor the game with educational bits in a bid to stealthily provide the ability to learn about the disease while being entertained, "Usually, education games don’t feel like regular games, they seem too academic. But with this game, we’re kind of sneak-teaching them the fundamentals of diabetes.”
Two principles the game teaches are the importance of testing blood sugar and patience—gamers must wait for food or insulin to take hold before the game’s character powers up.
Grantham is seeking additional funding to complete the game. A trailer and game demo can be viewed on the game’s website.
Comments
Re: Hero with Diabetes Stars in New Game
As someone who grew up with Type 1 Diabetis I can honestly say, kids fucking hate these types of games. They taught me jack shit, other than pieces of candy are real douchbags who love you push you into the water while you are in mid jump. You want a kid to learn how to control and manage their Diabetis, fucking teach them, do not park them infront of a game and hope it teaches them for you.
Re: Hero with Diabetes Stars in New Game
AS someone who has met and spoken with Adam about the game, I am excited for it. This is the type of game that has the potential to flip the educational game market on its head.
The diabetes management aspect of the game is not all that different than most otehr games out there. It is simply based off real life numbers and effects.
I really look forward to playing the game when it is released.
As for the Dragon Robot comments, he designed the game to take place in a fantasy settign to be more appealling to the players.
E. Zachary Knight
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
http://www.theeca.com/chapters_oklahoma
E. Zachary Knight
Divine Knight Gaming
OK Game Devs
Random Tower
Re: Hero with Diabetes Stars in New Game
Hey I love Krispy Kreme donuts. & my mom has Type 2 Diabetes. I have the same symptoms of a Type 1 diabetic like for ex., if I eat lots of chocolates or lots of donuts (which I don't much) or especially drink pop drinks aka coca cola, sprite, dr. pepper & so on, my blood sugar will spike really high & my cheeks will get extremly red & I will get really really hot as in temperature wise. It's b/c my blood sugar got extremely high from the foods I ate or drank. Now alcohol is the same for me, my blood sugar rises high. So now I drink lots of water, tea that I make, & get juices like cranberry juice, orange juice, grape juice & those juice packets (I forget the name), but I water them down & their not as sugary & they work & my blood sugar doesn't spike.
Now there is the opposite of a diabetic which is called "hypoglycemic". Meaning you have to keep eating to keep your blood sugar up. But a diabtic has to keep their blood sugar down. My uncle died b/c he was a diabetic, which led to him being blind & he ate pie that he wasn't supposed to eat & died from it. I'm serious too. & my mom's dad was hypoglycemic so every chance he got he would always eat something sweet in front of his wife (my g-ma) & she would get mad at him. lmao. :D But it's easy to check to make sure what you eat, for me it is & my mom. It is preventable too. & some people are born w/it. I knew a girl that was. But I think it's great he is doing this game. Kudos to him. & I don't see the point in a dragon robot. But to keep the audiences' attention it will work. Go for him! :)
"It's better to be hated for who you are, then be loved for who you are not." - Montgomery Gentry
Re: Hero with Diabetes Stars in New Game
My initial reaction to this was "LAME!", but now that I think about it, balancing a characters insulin levels would not be that bad a game mechanic in general. It would kind of be like Far Cry 2 and dealing with the characters health (his malaria and bullet wounds). However that would be assuming that the "insulin mechanic" would not be the main focus of the game, like it is for this one. The fact that Insulin is the main focus of this game, or so it seems, is what makes it sound lame. But it is for a good cause so I why not.
Responsibility: Its time that the next generation takes up the reigns of power in our government, before the old fools who hold them steer this country of ours closer to capsizing. We must act before its to late to repair the damage.
Re: Hero with Diabetes Stars in New Game
Oh dear god no. Not another Captain Novolin.
-Ultimately what will do in mankind is a person's fear of their own freedom-
Re: Hero with Diabetes Stars in New Game
A diabetic protagonist battling robot dragons? That doesn't make much sense. Robot dragons aren't the enemy of a diabetic. The enemy of a diabetic is a box of Krispy Kreme sugar-frosted donuts.
Re: Hero with Diabetes Stars in New Game
I'm not saying I'm for it, but isn't that kinda the point? The dragons are the "game" aspect that keeps the player playing. If it was a game of someone staring at a box of Entenmann's, that's certainly counter-productive to getting the person to play the game.
Re: Hero with Diabetes Stars in New Game
If a diabetic wants to impress me, he can eat an entire box of Krispy Kreme sugar-frosted donuts, skip his insulin, and show me how bad-ass he really is. Defeating some robot dragon gets you no props around here.