Tag Archives: Medical Gaming

Our lives are entrenched in technology and media, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that companies who refuse to update their businesses to be in line with current technologies simply won’t reach consumers where they are. When we created Cartoon MD we wanted help to people lead better lives and have fun while doing it.  What we discovered is that there was a need for simple, fun, interactive health information in the market that wasn’t being met, so CartoonMD was born.  Think of a world of cartoon characters doing their playful thing in games and shows, but imbedded in and fused into this world are simple, partially hidden, important and useful nuggets of medical information.

Our premier app the Furdmont Chronicles is more than just a game, it’s a way to effortlessly internalize and discover important information about diabetes without listening to a lecture or sitting on a hard plastic chair in a Doctor’s office.  It’s like the anti dry-medical-pamphlet approach. Learning you have diabetes can be scary, and it’s often difficult for people, especially kids, to deal with their fears and absorb the information that they really need.  By melding the information into an allegorical format in a fun game, children find the material is more than approachable – it draws them in – and they and are free to explore and learn through natural cause and effect.  Check out our list of why medical games are slated to be the next big thing in health care:

 

  1. People are over worked including our kids- Children have more homework and extracurricular time commitments than ever before, so health information needs to be something they want to learn not another item on a to do list.  A game is the perfect solution to this problem.

 

  1. Parents crave educational media for their children- Screen time isn’t going anywhere but most parents want to at least ensure their child is getting some learning in as well as enjoying themselves.  And while there are plenty of games about every school topic imaginable, health information in game format is just starting to be explored.

 

  1. Children learn through play- While this is still true for adults it particularly pertains to children.  Children internalize information best when they’re playing rather than being lectured.

 

  1. Having an engaged patient is critical to their outcome- If you have a young patient who won’t take their medication and cooperate their long term health outcome is poor at best. Games are engaging to children and allow them to explore important topics in a setting they’re comfortable with.  Even more exciting is that children are more likely to respond well to a character they like and be spurred to action. CartoonMD and Furdmont are filled with a broad set of characters, and kids will identify with at least one or two of them.

 

  1. Hospitals are already starting to use medical gaming- Hospitals across the country have begun to realize the benefits of presenting information in game format.  Many Children’s hospitals have medical games to play when a patient is admitted.  They keep the patient happy and occupied while their learning potentially lifesaving information about their condition.

 

We want you to imagine if your child enjoyed going to their doctor because they got to play a new computer game in the waiting room and if part of a prescription was to play a game for 20 minutes instead of pouring over dry material or listening to another lecture.  Learning should be fun! “Mom, can we go to Dr. Smith’s office? The new CartoonMD game just came out and they have it there!”.