A Game for World Kidney Day - 10 March
Held on the 10th March, World Kidney Day was an event designed to raise awareness of the problems of kidney disease, and WSA staff and students have been doing their part.
Did you know…?
- 3 million people in the UK have kidney disease. Approximately a third do not know it.
- 1,000 of these are children who have kidneys that have failed. They need life-saving kidney transplants.
- There are 7,500 people in the UK waiting for a life-saving organ donation. 5,500 of them are waiting for a kidney.
James Stallwood, who has just completed his PhD with Ashok Ranchhod at WSA and Gary Wills at ECS (School of Computing), and some of his BA (Hons) Games Design and Art first years – Sylvia Wilson, Elfi Collings, Chase Toyn and Jade Carter – have created a game for Southampton University Hospital Trust, which was demonstrated in the hospital on the day.
Called "Mediscade", the purpose of the game is to encourage young people (children to 18) to make positive lifestyle choices so that they might not be so affected by the symptoms of their respective conditions (diabetes, liver disease, kidney disease, etc.). The game is still in production, but in the full version there are four player characters to choose from each with their own individual conditions. At the hospital on World Kidney Day, James demonstrated the game featuring the kidney disease sufferer as he attempted to combat fatty foods using exercise and hydration. The game was well received by the children who tried it.
With the feedback received on the day, James plans to improve and expand the game, providing a fun and useful learning tool to help young people understand a range of diseases.
- You can help the problem of Kidney Disease by registering as an organ donor. Click here: http://www.organdonation.nhs.uk
- And you can help yourself by having your blood pressure and urine checked, eating healthily, taking exercise and not smoking.