by E. Zachary Knight on June 8, 2009

Diabetes, Educational Games, Game Equals Life, Health Games, Norman, Oklahoma, Serious Games, The Magi and the Sleeping Star, Type 1 Diabetes

It’s not everyday one gets to write about a game being developed right here in Oklahoma. It is also not everyday that one gets to write about a game that features Type 1 Diabetes as one of its primary game mechanics. Today is a day for both.

Back in April, Oklahoma City Community College held its second annual Oklahoma Electronic Game Expo. One of the best things going for it besides the tournament hosted by Okgamers.com and Hardcore Lan Center, or the ECA booth (shameless self plug there), was the booth for Game Equals Life and their upcoming game The Magi and the Sleeping Star.

In a recent press release (Meaning, sent out a month ago. Yes I am slow on the draw.), they discussed the purposes behind the game:

Using a classic adventure game structure, MSS will teach players about appropriate diabetes management and offer ongoing advice on how to best balance blood sugar throughout the game’s adventure. MSS aims to help people with diabetes understand the core principals of good diabetes management and consistently reinforce the implementation of these principals in their daily lives.

The consequences of handling your diabetes improperly are tied directly to the player’s ability to use all the hero’s magic in the game:

When the player’s blood sugar is too high or low, his powers are reduced or even nullified. This makes it impossible for the player to achieve victory until his blood sugar returns to a healthy level. Players are even rewarded with increased power when blood sugar is kept at ideal levels. Players must test blood sugar, choose healthy food, count carbohydrates and deliver appropriate amounts of insulin. This teaches the players to take full responsibility for diabetes management and puts them in a position to deal with its real-time affects in exciting gameplay situations.

I love this concept. Managing the diabetes of the hero means he can act in his full role as a Magi and save the world. This is a great way of teaching kids the importance of proper diabetes management in a fun and exciting way. It does not strive to show that managing your diabetes will give you power, but that it will allow you to access that power and those skills you already have.

Although the game is only in the prototype stage, it already looks fun and polished. It is not really what most people would consider educational or serious. I think that was the main goal the designers were striving toward. Many games based on serious or educational subjects are made with limited budgets and lack polish. This is not one of those.

The currently have two promotional videos on the site. The first is the preview trailer with shots of several enemies and some action. The second is a video depicting the legend of the Magi. Both are great to watch and show what this studio is capable of doing.

Currently GEL is looking for a publisher, so no release date or pricing is available. Those interested will find a newsletter subscription on the Magi site as well as news updates and videos. This is certainly one game I wil lbe watching and will look forward to playing when it is finally released. I hope for the best for this company and am proud to have this kind of talent based here in Oklahoma.

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