What do you think? Will this work? Would you buy this for your child?
If I had kids I would, it looks very well done.
kinda weird and cool at the same time! But I wonder how it will educate you (the player)! It seams just as a regular game!? Do you know how?
I am always skeptical of a game that is trying to teach health effectively. I think it’s almost impossible to get right…You’re faced with two huge hurdles:
- Making a fun game that I (and the population) will be stimulated by when you have so many competitors that are game specialists
2)Making that extremely fun game educational to the point that the tie-in to diabetes is effective enough to enlighten diabetics
Neither point 1 or point 2 is an easy task in itself, let alone conquering both feats together.
I’m going to contact the makers of this game and ask if I could review it for my blog at http://glucosebuddy.blogspot.com
Keep you all posted.
Depends on the game play aspect. Most savvy kids would look at you and say “are you kidding me?” but if it was fun to play then it would work even with the most skeptical kids. Let us know if you get to try it out, I am totally curious! Heck, I may play it myself, hahaha!
i think that no matter what the gameplay will overide the knowledge. The only game i played where i learned was this weird space game about reading books, it forced you to read books and take quizes on it and you won prizes.
I think kids would like a diabetes character to look up to, but i’m against anything that bases “how good of diabetic you are” on your blood sugar. It’s not fair and it’s not realistic, everybody has bad days and sometimes unexplainable sugars (unexplainable till they figure it out). Plus i can’t imagine a hero trying to check his blood sugar every time he has to fight a monster, or taking a break from battle because he’s low.
Interested on how it will go, the music and graphics were cool.
i wrote some blog reviews on this game, Captain Novolin and Packy and Marlon
MTendler… I really think it depends on the child. Although, I don’t like where it states “time is running out & the enemy is upon you”… If I was a child watching this I would be scared out of my mind!
I think this game has cool graphics. That being said, I hesitate to make out diabetes as a monster. Many kids are scared of “monsters” and I don’t like the idea of making diabetes a monster. You and I both know that, sometimes, it can be a monster, but we don’t want to teach children that. They could interpret it too literally. In my view, panned for younger children; maybe for teens but not newly diagnosed.
Lois La Rose
Milwaukee, WI
I would not hesitate to buy this game for my diabetic child if they are an avid gamer.
There is some really good work being done in the area of Serious Games (Games geared for health education). Google “Serious Games” to learn more.
Games can be a very effective way to engage kids and teach them skills. When kids play games they have an expectation that they have to master skills one at time to move on which is a great tool for learning. As long as the game play is engaging kids will display an enormous amount of patience repeating the same skill over and over again until they master it.
I have developed a lot of games and learning activities for kids over the years and it is tricky, you really need to have the budget and commitment from the educators and/or researchers to build a high quality game that can compete against the stuff they are playing on their consoles. My experience is that often times educators and researchers are so afraid of the violent aspects of these types of games that they tend to dumb down the game play by removing the violence which turns kids off right away. These guys seemed to have accomplished the game play needed to capture the kid and you get to kill things which like it or not kids really enjoy. BTW research has shown that the violence in video games does not promote violence in kids in the real world.
Teens prefer video games where you blow stuff up, kill monsters/your friends/your friends playing the monsters/etc… They aren’t going to want to bust out something where you have to do the same crap you do outside the game in real life in order to “win” the game.
I love video games and I don’t want my character to be a diabetic. I want him to be some nigh-invincible badass with huge guns and a roundhouse kick that kills in one fell swoop.
It’s escapism. I also don’t want to play a game where I have a wife and two kids and “win” by succeeding at work and bringing home a gallon of milk.
like chuck norris?
after watching clips of people make fun of captain Novolin and Packy and Marlon, and even Rax Ranalon (cure a guys smoking lung cancer in his body), i look forward to a different aspect but in the end it’s just a video game and if it sucks we can make fun of it. But as adults who might play the game we probably won’t be “moved” by the educational part, but for veteran diabetic kid they might enjoy it. I just think it could base things on sugar a little to much (example cap novolin going into a dka,restarting the level, that’s traumatizing), diabetes isn’t a simple fix, but if the game can promote a healthier lifestyle for children then right on. Knowing me it will just be fun to play the actual game part. (i want the placebo game)
For example play this game:
chttp://nobelprize.org/educational_games/medicine/insulin/game/insulin.html
after about 10 minutes you’ll get tired of shooting up the dog. and for gods sake don’t accidentally give the dog insulin (that’s what my boyfriend kept on doing, and he knows better not to do that in real life lol)
anybody here of the glucoboy.com?
you just mentioned the sims…very popular game
The graphics do look interesting though there’s not enough on the site to really tell how interesting the game is and also how much and they way one would learn anything. Also, it seems geared to a pretty specific audience. Plus I’m not sure how much girls would like it. Not to be stereotypical, but it’s more fun if there’s someone you can relate to more easily and there are really good rping games out there with a mix of characters (FF series for instance)…
anybody take care of the diabetic dog?
Hey i would play this game =)
im a W.O.W fan & FF =)
so i wouldnt mind playing it =)
Oh & BTW i did some research & this is what i’ve found
Independent game design studio Game Equals Life has announced the upcoming release of its first title, the health education game The Magi and the Sleeping Star. Targeted at adolescents and adults with type 1 diabetes, The Magi and the Sleeping Star rewards healthy blood sugar maintenance with in-game abilities and power-ups.
The Magi and the Sleeping Star puts players in the role of a young magic-user who has been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. In order to save his kidnapped family and defeat his enemies, the character must maintain a proper blood sugar level throughout his quest.
In order to stress the importance of blood sugar management, Game Equals Life has tied the character’s magical abilities directly to his blood sugar level. If the level is too high or too low, the character’s attacks become less effective. In some cases, his powers may be completely ineffective until a healthy blood sugar level has been established.
In-game diabetes management involves testing the character’s blood sugar, choosing healthy food, and delivering appropriate amounts of insulin. Regular check-ups and extended periods of proper blood sugar management are rewarded with an increase in magical power.
“Since this hero happens to have type 1 diabetes, players must learn to manage the disease in order to be successful,” said Game Equals Life president Adam Grantham. "With MSS we’re using the incredible teaching power of play to illustrate that life with type 1 diabetes doesn’t have to center around the disease and that good blood sugar management is the key to living a free and healthy life. As someone who’s lived with type 1 diabetes for over 15 years, I’m very excited to be working on such an innovative and positive new game.”
By Danny Cowan
April 21, 2009 04:06:00 PM PT
i wrote a blog on this game and two others.
First of all, the game developers need to properly define their audience. Chances are that few regular game-players are going to be drawn to a diabetes/health related game anyway, so the idea of balancing things is probably of wishful thinking anyway. Therefore, the developers need to be honest about the target for the game or they risk offending both groups anyway.
Unfortunately, these games (even those which are well-intentioned) tend to over-simplify diabetes management. Although another commenter reviewed the issue, and the main character in the game has type 1 diabetes. In order to save his kidnapped family and defeat his enemies, the character must maintain a proper blood sugar level throughout his quest. The character’s magical abilities directly to his blood sugar level, and if the level is too high or too low, the character’s attacks become less effective. Diabetes management involves testing the character’s blood sugar, choosing healthy food, and delivering appropriate amounts of insulin. Regular check-ups and extended periods of proper blood sugar management are rewarded with an increase in magical power.
My issue is that #1) diabetes management is not a game, and even following the “rules” of self-care frequently fail to yield predictable results. Anyone who actually lives with this disease can readily tell you that type 1 diabetes management is as much an art as it is a science. Author of “Showdown With Diabetes” Deb Butterfield eloquantly wrote:
"Knowing what dose of insulin to take was not then, and is not now, a precise science. It is not a simple analog of food, exercise, and insulin; rather it is a complex and seemingly random theory of chaos with a few discernible known variables. I was frustrated by my inability to achieve perfect control, and visits to the doctors that gave me no new strategies or tools, but simply repeated the mantra that diabetes could be controlled simply by being “compliant” with a prescribed regimen of insulin, blood sugar tests, and diet.
If you were to plot average blood sugar results on a graph relative to the incidence of complications, the graph would show that long-term diabetic complications decrease, but don’t stop, as average blood sugars improve. As average blood sugars approach normal levels where long-term complications could be prevented, the risk of severe hypoglycemia increases significantly. This leaves only a brief window of opportunity where there is neither a risk of severe hypoglycemia or long-term progression to secondary diabetic complications."
Unfortunately, this game makes it appear simpler, and in the process, makes anyone who fails to manage it appear unmotivated, unskilled, or both. To make matters worse, diabetes is already a disease which suffers from a great deal of public confusion, and adding a game that over-simplifies the reality of living with the disease isn’t doing anyone any favors. Again, I would suggest they properly identify their target audience for the game, and IF that audience is people with type 1 diabetes, then they should seek certification from the American Association of Diabetes Educators, the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, JDRF and other relevant organizations so they don’t overlook critical elements of disease management. So far, it appears they have done only tertiary consulting on the subject.