CRoME Lab Games

MedSMA℞T: Adventures in PharmaCity is an educational game designed to teach adolescents about safe opioid management through the character Shan the sheep, who navigates medication decisions after breaking an arm. Players guide Shan’s choices throughout the day, learning safe decision-making strategies for themselves and others. The game allows players to see the consequences of their choices, aiming to prepare adolescents to handle real-life challenges related to medication safety.

The opioid crisis impacts both adults and adolescents, putting families at risk through misuse of prescription opioids, often obtained from friends, family, or healthcare sources. Adolescents are vulnerable to intentional misuse and accidental poisonings, with parental behaviors sometimes exacerbating risks, such as sharing unused opioids, improper storage, or incorrect dosing. Since adolescents view parents, particularly mothers, as valuable sources of information on opioid safety, there is a critical opportunity to improve family communication and practices regarding safe opioid use and responsible medication management.

Cancer is a leading cause of death in the U.S., significantly affecting adolescents, particularly those from racial/ethnic minority backgrounds, rural areas, or lower socioeconomic groups who face higher cancer rates and poorer outcomes. Unhealthy lifestyle choices, including tobacco and alcohol use, poor diet, lack of exercise, and unprotected sun exposure, contribute to nearly half of adolescent cancer diagnoses. However, a knowledge gap persists among youth regarding their susceptibility to cancer, highlighting the need for effective prevention education tailored to them. Leveraging adolescents’ engagement with digital technology, a well-designed serious game could foster awareness and promote healthy behaviors, addressing a gap in U.S. school-based cancer prevention programs and helping vulnerable adolescents reduce their future cancer risks.