New Student-Designed Video Game is Released

Video Game Design students at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois, in collaboration with the Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation, have designed and released a new mobile video game to create awareness about Sjögren’s Syndrome. Sjögren’s (“SHOW-grins”) is a systemic autoimmune disease that attacks the moisture glands and affects the entire body. More than 4 million Americans suffer from it and it is considered one of the most prevalent autoimmune diseases.

Wake Up, Koala! is a puzzle game where players attempt to wake up Mama Koala by splashing her with water drops. Along with symptoms of extensive dryness, Sjogren's sufferers deal with profound fatigue, and the game incorporates both of these symptoms into its design.

Dr. Monica McGill, Associate Professor and Game Design Lead, says her team has been working with the Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation since August to develop the game. "Wake Up, Koala! provides a unique opportunity to use games to better understand the disease and raise awareness of it in a fun way." McGill says she chose Sjogren's because a family member suffers from it.

"It's been exciting to take another avenue for raising awareness about Sjögren's, and Wake Up, Koala! does just that," explained Steven Taylor, CEO of the Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation. "With this game, we hope to reach a number of people who may not have heard about Sjögren's through more traditional forms of media."

For their efforts, the design team received the 2016 Awareness Award from the Sjögren's Syndrome Foundation at the National Patient Conference in Seattle on April 8. The game also received 3rd place in the Chronic Disease category in the international, juried Games 4 Health student competition.

Senior Kyle Des Jardins added, "As part of a senior project, this has been a great, hands-on experience. Creating a game that raises awareness about a chronic illness has been very rewarding."

This is the most recent video game McGill and her students have designed that focuses on improving health. In June 2015, they developed Coco's Cove, a mobile game highlighting the effects of blood sugar imbalances in people with Type 2 Diabetes.

Bradley's Game Design program was ranked 15th best in the nation for 2016 by The Princeton Review.

Wake Up, Koala! can be found online at www.wakeupkoala.com and is available on Google Play and ITunes.