Chemo Cadet
A mobile game for children and teens with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
A mobile game for children and teens with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
A.L.L. is the most common type of leukemia in children from infancy up to age 19. It is a cancer of the bone marrow and blood that progresses rapidly without treatment. Most children with A.L.L. are cured of their disease after treatment.
Inspiration
Inspiration for this project came after watching Ol Parker’s film Now Is Good.
Design opportunity and goals
There are very few mobile games available for children and teens suffering from leukemia. None offer a multiplayer experience. Chemo Cadet is a game designed to be a motivational aid for leukemia patients who are already physically fighting this disease. With Chemo Cadet, they can fight leukemia figuratively as well.
Gameplay
Players create a Cadet that is “shrunk down” inside the body to battle cancerous cells and dodge healthy ones. Cells move towards the player, who steers their ship with the mobile device’s gyroscope. Chemo “blasts” and power-ups destroy cancer cells and earn points. As the game progresses, cells move faster and the difficulty increases. The player’s “chemo session” ends once all three of their ship’s shields are depleted. There is no death penalty
You can download a full size PDF of the Chemo Cadet presentation board by clicking here.
