The National Institutes of Health is spending roughly a quarter of a million dollars to create a video game about reproductive health.
The University of Chicago and a video game developer were awarded a joint project this summer to develop a STEM game for teenagers called "Caduceus Quest," named after a mythological symbol popularly (and incorrectly) associated with medicine.
The study will "develop and test a serious game, Caduceus Quest, to engage youth in STEM learning, facilitate reductions in sexual and reproductive health risk behaviors, and promote asset development toward holistic, long-term well-being," according to a grant for the project. "Caduceus Quest will be a multi-platform, theory-based, role-playing game in which players build up teams of doctors, policymakers, researchers, youth advocates, educators, etc. to solve medical mysteries and epidemiologic crises around the city."
The target audience is African American and Latino teenagers in Chicago between the ages of 13 and 18.
The game is being developed by Resilient Games Studio in conjunction with the University's Center for Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Innovation in Sexual and Reproductive Health.
The center's goal is to "advance sexual and reproductive health, rights and justice."
"These partners share a commitment to using game-based learning experiences to empower youth with the skills, capacity, and support to achieve optimal health and well-being," the grant said.
The project, awarded in August, has cost taxpayers $224,998. Resilient Games Studio said on its Facebook page in October that it was hiring.