Mobile game increases HIV risk-related knowledge among adolescents

PlayForward: Elm City Stories

An iPad game can learn kids about the risks of HIV, as attested by a new study presented at the AIDS 2014 conference in Melbourne this month.

Said study has found that adolescents who played a mobile game about HIV risks called “PlayForward: Elm City Stories” increased their HIV risk-related knowledge.

“Video games are ubiquitous, foster skill development translating into improved health outcomes, and have the potential to dramatically reduce risk behaviors in youth,” the AIDS 2014 website claims.

A total of 198 kids with a mean age of 13 played the game for around six weeks, 125 of which went on to complete a three-month follow-up assessment through the game. The study found that those children who played the game, compared to a control group, had a much better understanding of the risks of HIV.

The game, in case you wonder, was being put together through a partnership between Schell Games and Yale University.