HEMONAUTS

This study reports on findings from the first phase of the Hemonauts project, a suite of interactive digital games, designed in collaboration with software developers at Thrust Interactive, which were intended to increase Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) content knowledge and promote healthy lifestyle choices in chronically ill children. Chronically ill children are at risk of falling behind in school due to frequent absences and disease implications, potentially resulting in additional psychological complications and long-term setbacks. Hemonauts seeks to leverages childhood diseases as an entry point to exploit the target population’s innate interest in anatomy and physiology. We created and tested a suite of three game prototypes to engage children in challenges related to Sickle Cell Anemia. Participants were middle school students and pediatric patients with Sickle Cell Anemia. They expressed that the game was captivating and highly needed and patients with Sickle Cell Anemia demonstrated high levels of interest-driven engagement with content relevant to their diagnosis. However, at this stage, they did not demonstrate increases in STEM content knowledge and more generally, we found that patients expressed an alarmingly low level of disease literacy.