Raising RSV Awareness Through a Custom Gamified Learning Experience

The American College of Chest Physicians(CHEST) is the leading professional association in innovative chest medicine. A professional home to over 22,000 pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine clinicians, CHEST advances health outcomes for patients with lung disease through education, advocacy, research, and philanthropy.

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Respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, is a common respiratory virus that usually causes mild, cold-like symptoms. Most people recover in a week or two, but RSV can be serious, especially for infants and older adults. 

Due to the rising rates of RSV¹, CHEST sought out to create an interactive training solution to bring awareness surrounding RSV pathophysiology, risk factors, impact and potential complications, and the role vaccines play in the prevention of RSV in adults.

Unveiling RSV brings players through a classic mystery“whodunit” experience wherein the player takes on the role of “Detective” whose mission is to identify, treat and contain a mysterious illness that spread during a recent ball. Featuring an elaborate backstory, the game takes place at the Chateau Goldwater, an extravagant mansion where the owner, Lady Guinivere Goldwater, enjoys hosting frequent events for people from the nearby town.

During this introduction, players are given clear game objectives:

- Identify vulnerable parties

- Uncover transmission modes

- Gather samples from the Chateau to produce a vaccine

- Use the findings to prevent another viral outbreak

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Players are given an inventory with items to help them on their mission and hints about items they will need to locate throughout the mansion.

This game is full of branching dialogue, interactive spaces, dynamic characters, and a deep storyline to keep players immersed in the learning experience. To locate the objects and solve the mystery, the player is encouraged to explore the rooms of Chateau Goldwater and interact with the staff to gather information. The more the players interact with staff, the more information and objects they uncover, keeping the storyline moving and checking off game objectives. 

Once the necessary objects and information are acquired, the next phase is to create a vaccine. The player completes mini-games to identify how one becomes infected with RSV, how the body fights RSV, and to pinpoint a proper vaccine mechanism to fight the virus. The player uses their findings of vulnerable parties from earlier in the game (based on age and known medical history) in order to create a list of recommended vaccine recipients.

In Unveiling RSV, the fun and familiar elements of “point and click” adventure games are paired with detailed instructional feedback to fully engage players with the content, ultimately leading to increased knowledge retention surrounding respiratory syncytial virus.

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According to CHEST, the game has received positive survey responses, participation rates, and qualitative feedback, affirming its relevance and effectiveness. These insights validate the approach and will be used to guide future iterations and enhancements to better meet the needs of the CHEST audience.

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