Background 

Gaming gives everyone a way to escape, but some people have more to escape than others. Children who spend long periods in hospital can feel not just isolated, but their conditions can actively worsen due to the trauma and anxiety that the hospital environment can cause. The objective was to help these children thrive in the toughest of circumstances. 

Creative Idea 

The charity Gamers Outreach partnered with Xbox to create ‘Therapeutic Play’, a reinvention of gaming as a tool to help aid recovery for children in hospitals. It was all made possible by an innovation – part console, part hospital equipment – that made gaming in the medical environment a reality, and one that was impossible for regular consoles to achieve due to cost and hygiene. The kart, powered by Xbox, was specially designed for the hospital setting, with medical-grade materials for sanitation, ergonomic trays for hospital devices, swivel wheels to transport around the wards and a shape that would work with other hospital furniture. Suddenly, gaming became not just a bit of fun, but part of the recovery process, aiding children’s mental health through connecting with others in similar situations, and playing a part in their physical recovery by keeping them engrossed as medical staff treated them. 

Strategy 

Xbox believe gaming is for all, but there is a certain section of society who would benefit more from the meaningful connections that gaming brings - children who spend long periods of time in hospitals. Our approach was to recontextualise gaming in society, showing how it goes beyond the traditional uses depicted by most gaming brands. The idea of Therapeutic Play was built upon existing research that proves the medicinal powers that play can bring, not just as a means of entertainment, but a deeper medical benefit. Gaming has been found to aid as a distraction for children going through painful procedures and helps lower anxiety and stress levels brought on by experiences in hospital and illness. What use to be perceived as just ‘a bit of fun’ now legitimises the use of gaming in the medical space, almost positioning Xbox consoles within the karts as supplementary medical apparatus. 

Execution 

The ‘Therapeutic Play’ initiative launched in the UK and USA. To tell the world about the extraordinary ability of the gaming kart innovation and the immense value they can bring to children in hospitals, we created a documentary film which was seeded on Gamers Outreach and Xbox social channels and on YouTube. 

The film used the kart to connect two people on opposite sides of the world who share an extremely rare condition – Elhers Danlos Syndrome, which affects bone and muscle growth. Jordan, an American teen, had never met anyone who suffered from the same condition. But thanks to the kart he connected with Megan, 4000 miles away in Scotland. Jordan was able to share his worries and concerns with somebody who truly understands, and Megan was able to offer wisdom, hope and encouragement. Something that wouldn’t have been possible without connecting through gaming. 

Results 

·       -  350+ medical institutions partnered with 

·       -  1,250 karts rolled out worldwide 

·       -  Over a million experiences of connection and recovery created for children in hospitals 

- With certain procedures such as changing bandages on burn victims, thanks to the kart, what used to take 6 nurses now takes 2 

- Over 90% positive and neutral sentiment online – extraordinary within the highly-critical gaming community.