Micro Games for Proactive Preventive Medicine

The DoD has put forward several new initiatives that emphasize fitness, preparedness, and preventive medicine through a focus on healthy lifestyle choices and accident prevention. Since a high percentage of the military affected by these issues are surprisingly young, one strategy for engaging this internet-savvy demographic and their families is through proactive preventive medicine microgames. PLANET LLC proposes to use a unique web-based platform for delivering a trio of 3D microgames based on existing medical and allied health knowledge of military preventive health priorities that will move beyond common microgame design to provide a more engaging method for delivery of didactic instruction. Using 3D, games can have a broader opportunity to take players into a role or environment they could normally not enter, allowing them to maximize a learning experience (in hazard or environmental exposure prevention for example). 3D simulation can also place a player in a dramatic situation, offering opportunities for compelling experiential learning. For traditional gaming, 3D also enhances the visual experience and user interactivity. This platform also includes multiplayer capabilities, so social interaction and sharing of ideas and strategies can further engage the players or an instructor and increase the game’s ability to provide instruction.