With teenage pregnancy rates amongst the highest in Europe, sexual health is a critical issue both in the West Midlands and the UK as a whole. However, parents often struggle to communicate effectively with their children around the topic. In collaboration with Coventry University Health and Life Sciences and leading serious game developers PlayGen, the Serious Games Institute has contributed to the development of a serious game allowing parents to tackle many of the difficult questions their child may pose in a safe, simulated environment.
Devised by experts in public health from Coventry University’s faculty of Health and Life Sciences, and developed by leading serious game company PlayGen with input from experts in game based learning at the SGI, the game addresses the many difficulties parents face when communicating with children around difficult topics. It presents parents with virtual recreations of difficult situations, and tests their knowledge of facts surrounding teenage pregnancy, sexually-transmitted infections, and contraception. By demonstrating the likely outcomes of various responses to situations, the game guides parents in considering how they communicate with their children, and provides detailed feedback on their responses.
As well as addressing a broad range of topics in the area of sexual health, the game also encourages the user to reflect on how they interact with their child when discussing these difficult topics, and suggests effective approaches to communication.
Project Contact:Dr. Ian Dunwell
Project Partners:Project Support: