SGS Feature: 'Steve Cole on ReMission At Games for Health'

Today's main feature written for Gamasutra sister site Serious Games Source, which deals with games created for training, health, government, military, educational and other uses, begins the site's coverage of the Games for Health conference in Baltimore. Specifically, the feature covers the event's keynote address, which featured remarks from Digitalmill co-founder and serious games activist Ben Sawyer, University of Maryland School of Medicine's Dr. Bruce Jarrell, and HopeLab's vice president of research Steve W. Cole. In this excerpt, writer Erin Hoffman covers what Cole expressed as a frightening statistic of adolescent cancer survival, and how Hopelab aimed to assist in the regard through the creation of its ReMission serious game. ReMission is an action game that serves the dual purpose of entertaining players while at the same time educating patients on the seriousness of cancer. “Research into the progression of cancer patients over the last year reveals what Cole termed a “donut hole” in recovery statistics: while medical science has won great progress in the recovery of adults and young children, adolescents are missed, and disturbingly have shown no recovery trend. While adults understand the severity of cancer, and young children are under the judicious eyes of their parents for at-home treatments, adolescents slip through the cracks, being just independent enough to fail to adhere to doctor recommendations. Adolescents also have a tendency to ignore or mask their symptoms so as to avoid being restricted from recreational activities. They fall under intense peer pressure in the school environment and as a result will resist any complaint, activity, or behavior that isolates them from their peers. All of these factors culminate in frightening social statistics regarding adolescent cancer survival.” You can now read the full Serious Games Source feature on the subject, including more from Cole and others on serious games, ReMission specifically. (no registration required, please feel free to link to this feature from external websites).