 AN ESCAPE: Chase Crawford, 17, recovering cancer patient, plays Re-Mission at Childrens Hospital of Orange County. JOSHUA SUDOCK, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER
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New video game helps teens with their cancer
The project, developed by a nonprofit, improved teens' knowledge of their disease in a fun way
The 17-year-old leukemia patient, wearing a knit cap and blue pajama bottoms, was among the first to try a new video game called "Re-Mission."
The game, designed by animators, video game makers, cell biologists and teen boys with cancer, features a buxom nanorobot named Roxxi. In the hands of young cancer patients, she zooms through "the world's smallest battlefield" with her chemo blaster and radiation gun.
"It's pretty cool," Chase said, his eyes locked on the explosions on his computer screen. "There's a red cell that multiplies the bad cells and you have to kill them."
The game does more than pass the boring hours for Chase and other young patients at Children's Hospital of Orange County. It teaches patients about their disease, encourages them to follow their treatment and provides an outlet for frustration.
And the developer of the game, the nonprofit HopeLab, has proven results. The Northern California group conducted a study using the game at hospitals in three countries. Nearly 375 teen cancer patients were tracked as they played either an Indiana Jones game or "Re-Mission."
The teens that played "Re-Mission" understood cancer better and took their medication more faithfully.
During the three-month study, doctors tested patients' blood to see if they were taking their chemo pills. A microchip on the bottle of antibiotics also monitored if they took infection-fighting drugs as scheduled. The teens were quizzed periodically about their knowledge of cancer.
Dr. Lilibeth Torno, a pediatric oncologist at CHOC, oversaw 19 local teens participating in the trial. She also noticed how their morale improved.
"The kids really had fun," Torno said. "They thought of it as a venue to express more control over the disease. They were trying to defeat the enemy."
Throughout the game, patients learn about side effects from chemo. In one scenario, after Roxxi blasts away cancer cells, she helps a patient take deep breaths to combat nausea.
The game offers constant coaching, with instructions flashing across the screen:
"Each colony can regrow. Try to kill the entire colony."
"Try not to kill too many friendly cells."
One mission describes Juan, a fictional 14-year-old with leukemia who has just finished chemo. "Follow Juan as he leaves the hospital. Monitor his symptoms and make sure he follows his prescription of oral antibiotics. Use antibiotics to blast as many bacteria as you can. If his fever spikes, we need to get him back into the hospital."
For Chase, who is also recovering from chemo, visits from his friends in Laguna Niguel are more appealing than playing video games. But he said the game beats afternoon TV.
"It's kind of fun," he said. "It's pretty hard. There's so many of these little cells."
HopeLab has partnered with insurer Cigna to distribute the game at no charge. To order a copy, visit www.cigna.com/re-mission. The game is rated T for teen and is not appropriate for younger children.
Contact the writer: 714-796-3686 or cperkes@ocregister.com
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