Game to Help Kids Prevent Coronavirus Spread

Game Doctor wins £50,000 grant from Innovate UK to develop an app aimed at helping children prevent the spread of coronavirus.

13:44 01 June 2020

Game Doctor is set to develop a mobile game aimed at helping children prevent the spread of coronavirus. The Glasgow-based technology company was awarded £50,000 by Innovate UK for the app, which will be offered free on the Apple app store and Google Play for free by the end of 2020. The app, which will target children aged eight and sixteen, will feature analytics designed to measure health behaviours of young people. 

 

Dr Carla Brown, who set up Game Doctor, said: "We were really very keen to use our expertise to help tackle this horrible pandemic and help with our young people who are feeling quite anxious about it. 

 

"The aim is to basically let teenagers feel involved by letting them develop drugs and vaccines, alongside scientists to give them hope, and reassure them that you know this isn't forever - we are working together to develop a cure. 

 

"What we're trying to do is get a game that not only teaches young people about Covid-19, hopefully it just makes them a bit more positive about adhering to this Government guidance for the next two years." 

 

Dr Brown will work closely with researchers at the Institute of Queen's University Belfast. The project will be supported by a health psychologist from the University of Stirling. 

 

Dr Brown added: "I've been working hard to get people in the public to understand and appreciate the value of games for health education. 

 

"It's definitely been a journey in that sense.

 

"I'm just really excited that we're getting the use of our expertise for this because you know we've done small games for universities - on obesity - and we're actually able to pull that all together and do something really good."