Games for good

Understanding health science through gameplay.

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Welcome!

Games for good is a catalogue of knowledge games which are helping us understand public health
Developed in part or in full under the tradename Dauntless R&D

Made possible with support from:

Current projects

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⦿ Live

Can we suggest solutions to real-world health problems by playing a game?

Help us find out by playing this space-themed public health-solving puzzle game! More details â–¼

The study "Learning network complexity through gameplay" was approved by the University of Bristol Psychological Science School Research Ethics Committee (ID: 111083)
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🔥

⦿ Live

How would you have managed the COVID-19 outbreak?

Let us know by playing this 5 minute narrative adventure game which pits you as a policy maker! More details â–¼

The game OutBreak was developed by a global team of volunteers at Endcoronavirus.org steered by Yaneer Bar-Yam. This game is being modified for use in an upcoming study based on the Nederlands.
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All projects

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Contribute to ongoing research and understand the complexity of public health interventions in this space-themed game.

Play here
2020
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This puzzle-game shows how not getting vaccinated contributes to COVID-19 spread. Part of the 'Anti-Vaxx' puzzle micro-game series.

2020

This prototype micro-game experimented with using puzzle gameplay to show how vaccinations prevent disease spread. Produced for visitors at the Research Without Borders 2019 public engagement festival.

2019

Explore the trade-off between public happiness and case numbers when managing the COVID-19 response. Developed as part of a global team of EndCoronaVirus.org volunteers.

2021
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Shows how not wearing a mask helps COVID-19 spread. This is an example of a game template where a game (Anti-Vaxx 2019) is modified for a new purpose (mask wearing). Part of the 'Anti-Vaxx' series of micro puzzle-games.

2020
COVID-19 policy simulation

A simulation game to communicate an economic model about COVID-19. Developed by a team of endcornavirus.org volunteers, this game was circulated to policy aides.

2020

Impact

2020-2021: Coronavirus
Image @Remo
OutBreak, Anti-Mask and Anti-Vaxx: COVID-19 edition were featured in the Research Without Borders 2021 online showcase.
Links:
A global team of volunteers developed and launched OutBreak on the EndCoronaVirus.org website to engage the public and policy makers with economic models about COVID-19.
Links:
The pandemic simulation game was circulated to policy aides for feedback as part of a strategy to present or COVID-19 economic modelling in a novel format.
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This website is featured as part of the MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit's public engagement strategy.
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2019: Anti-vaccination myth busting
The Anti-Vaxx series of micro-puzzle games were first unveiled at the Research Without Borders 2019 public engagement festival.
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Template knowledge games

What are knowledge games?

"Knowledge games produce knowledge, solve problems, or generate new possibilities for real-world change"

- Karen Schrier, Knowledge Games, 2016

Why games?

Motivate players
Simulate the real-world
Make complex problems accessible
Have broad-appeal
Sources: 3 4

Games for any purpose

Research has demonstrated that games are effective for many purposes including:
Education and skills training
Healthcare, therapy and behavioural change
Collecting and processing data
Public engagement and social activism
Sources: 1 2 3

Template games

Games usually take a long time and are expensive to develop. Not these games. We have developed templates which allow us to modify and update games for new purposes.

Dauntless R&D is a trade name under which digital health services have been traded since 2014. For more information click here.