Research Paper Example on Virtual Games That Help Manage Diabetes

Captain Novolinvv is a form of a platform game. It is played by making a character hop and shift to evade barriers. The game helps the player ward off different types of junk food, which are portrayed as evil. The player is encouraged to eat healthy foods to normalize their sugar levels. The game also encourages the player to use insulin.

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Another game is the Diabetic Dog. The virtual engagement encourages the youth to take care of their diabetic dog. To this end, caring for the pet dog entails regulating its blood sugar. The sugar is maintained through monitoring, administration of insulin, as well as adopting a healthy diet.

Glymetrix Diabetes Game is another virtual platform that can be used to maintain the health of the player. It involves tests and card games. The knowledge of the player with regards to diabetes and individual regulation is reviewed using the game. The two games in this genre are brought together to create a comprehensive clinical network. The network helps individuals with diabetes, as well as healthcare providers, to manage the condition.

INSULOT can also be used to manage diabetes. The game is played from a mobile phone. It is used to provide diabetic patients with a wide range of information. The information involves the impacts of insulin and starch on blood sugar levels. The player interacts with the game via a slot machine link. They are required to approximate the amount of insulin required to regulate their blood sugar levels.

Another game is the Magi and The Sleeping Star. The game is action-packed and intended to replicate the diabetic condition of the player. The individual adopts the role of a dominant, youthful, and mystical hero. The player assumes the role of a patient suffering from Type 1 diabetes. The main character engages in an adventure to salvage the world. They achieve this objective through the help of their mystical powers. The aim is to conquer robotic adversaries encountered in the process of salvaging the world. The mystical capabilities of the player correlate to their ability to monitor and regulate their blood sugar levels. They achieve this objective by making the right decisions with regards to their insulin and nutritional options.

Like Magi and The Sleeping Star, Packy & Marlon is an action-packed virtual engagement. It is targeted at young individuals suffering from Type 1 diabetes. The player interacts with the game by scrolling sideways. The player adopts the role of Packy and Marlon. The two are elephant characters suffering from diabetes. They have to deal with rodents that have infested a diabetes summer camp. They do this by foraging for food and medical supplies to rid the camp of the menace. The game takes place through a 4-day summer camp. The player is expected to achieve the objectives set and remain healthy. They do this by regulating their blood sugar levels. The condition is managed through monitoring, taking medication, and adopting the proper diet. The effectiveness of this virtual engagement has been tested through a randomized longitudinal trial. The study was conducted over a period of 6 months on young patients with Type 1 diabetes. It was found that emergency hospital visits associated with the condition dropped by 77.5 percent among the participants.

Super Mario Brothers Diabetes is another virtual game that can be used to manage diabetes. It is played by scrolling sideways. The chief character in this game is Mario. The character is suffering from Type 1 diabetes and the player has to help them manage the condition. The major objective of this virtual engagement is to rescue a princess confined into a fortified castle. To this end, the main character should manage their condition and adopt a healthy diet. Consequently, they are able to fight against malevolent sentinels that should be overcome in the various levels of the game.

In Dia-BEAT-it, the player achieves the goals of the game using a pet. When the game is fully developed, it will involve "looped-running" in which case the player controls their avatar through a wide range of action-packed stages. The player can customize the avatar to their liking. For instance, they can opt for either insulin injections or pumps. As the player progresses through the various stages, they will be required to accumulate tokens. Such coupons include insulin and glucagon. They can also accumulate juice chests and blood sugar strips. In addition, the player may also accumulate hypodermics and mixture sets. The tokens are based on the mode of insulin administration preferred by the player.

In this research project, the arcade strategy is used on smartphone appliances. It is adopted into a handheld device as opposed to larger screens and desktops. It is supposed to be played from home and bring together a number of players. Consequently, the associated research project is limited to applications that can be used on identical devices. The devices include smartphones. However, a small number of related undertakings were displayed in the Games for Health seminars and academic games. According to the researcher, there is a straight-forward way through which one can access iOS applications. Here, the user can set limits to iPhone applications while at the same time carrying out precise explorations. The strategy involves the use of iTunes App Store on MAC. The reason is that the web solution1 lacked a search application. The various search terms entered into the application to access available games and the findings made are highlighted below: "Diabetes Games" was the first term used to search for "diabetes games." A total of 19 hits were made. A large percentage of the games accessed here were basically explanatory. Some were unrelated to the objectives of the researcher. For instance, 2 of the games provided information on ways through which one can lead a healthy life by avoiding excessive consumption of sugar. A total of 17 games contained questions used to gauge the level of understanding with regards to diabetes and other related health issues [29]. In addition, 20 hits were on food preparation applications that can be used to improve one's knowledge on the types of foods appropriate for people living with diabetes. Lastly, 21 of the games accessed provided information on weight loss accessories. However, one of the applications accessed was fairly relevant to the current study. The game was Dex: Your Virtual Pet.

Dex: Your Virtual Pet is a game involving a pet that is afflicted with diabetes. It is similar to tamagotchi. The user interacts with the pet by taking care of him through feeding. Given the health condition of the pet, the diet adopted by the user impacts on the game. For instance, Figure 3.2(b) is an illustration of how the pet reacts after consuming a lot of unhealthy food items. The player is informed that the diet was inappropriate to the wellbeing of the pet. A pop-up dialogue box, "Learn healthy food choices," is displayed. The animal is also required to undergo physical exercise to regulate its mood. The exercises are also required to help the pet engage in fun-filled informational games. The pet provides the player with feedback on the significance of physical exercises as far as regulation of blood glucose is concerned. In addition, it educates the player on the importance of a healthy diet, which is needed to provide adequate energy and improve the moods of the patient.

The researcher also accessed GlucoZor [24]. They achieved this while searching for germane somber games from the wide range of applications that are in existence. The game was retrieved using "diabetes game" search phrase. The game is intended for young players. The player is expected to take care of tar hand om. The character is a dinosaur afflicted with diabetes. The game assumes a tamagotchi style. The player takes care of the animal by feeding it the right diet and encouraging it to engage in physical activities. In addition, the player can regulate the blood sugar levels of the animal while providing physical contact. The aim of the game is to provide information to young users on the ways through which they can overcome the problems associated with diabetes in order to lead a fulfilling life. Figure 3.5 is an illustration of the way through which the animal responds to low blood sugar levels. The reaction is an indication that insulin is required to restore the health of the animal. In the figure, the player intends to administer 10 doses of the drug. The game adopts a rewarding mechanism in which case the player can accumulate coins as they proceed through the levels. The tokens are used to unlock new undertakings. They can also be used to enhance the surroundings of the GlucoZor character. A case in point is Figure 3.6. Here, the animal is shown against a background characterized by a half-pipe skateboard. The reward system improves the fun attributes of the game. The system is not limited to the tamagotchi interface.

A total of 14 virtual games that can be used to monitor diabetes are highlighted in this paper. The games are of different genres. In addition, they encourage the player to solve a number of problems through enhanced skills in decision making. The games recreate situations in which the player is supposed to manage their diabetic condition. They require the user to establish equilibrium between diet and insulin. The aim is to normalize and regulate the blood sugar levels of the individual. Normally, the games encourage the user to memorize a set of skills required to achieve set objectives. As such, the virtual engagements help in the establishment of a cause and effect network. In addition, they avail information on how the individual can manage their diabetic condition.

It is noted that only GlucoZor and Dex can be found in a publication format. The two are used to improve the wealth of knowledge available on diabetes games. In addition, the pair adopts a virtual pet interface. The player is required to monitor and take care of a virtual domesticated animal afflicted with diabetes. It is noted that mySugr Junior [33] entails a convincing strategy that can be adopted in a self-monitoring interface suitable for young players. In addition, Dex [14] entails the use of a diabetic virtual domesticated animal. In this case, the player is required to establish equilibrium between diet and physical exercises to enhance the health and wellbeing of the animal. For instance, when the player adopts an unhealthy diet characterized by too much sugar, they are provided with information and cooking applications that can help them to change their lifestyle. The information provided entails healthy diets and appropriate food regimen.