How do you diagnose and help a three-eyed monster with a heart problem? That's the challenge and fun in the new, free Monster Heart Medic iPhone/iPad app, now available in the App Store. This educational adventure game uses animated monster stories, interactive simulators, arcade games, virtual diagnostic tests and more to explore the cardiovascular system and how it's affected by healthy living.
Monster Heart Medic challenges kids to diagnose a friendly monster named Ragnar. As players uncover Ragnar's health problems and guide the monster towards heart-healthier habits, they learn about common cardiovascular risks like high blood pressure, diagnostic tests for conditions like high blood cholesterol, and behavioral changes like exercise that can keep a monster—and themselves—healthy. The app was developed by UC Berkeley's Lawrence Hall of Science and funded by a National Institutes of Health SEPA Award. (The Android version of the app is coming soon.)
In English or Spanish, players journey through an urban world packed with colorful monsters and offbeat characters. Animated monster stories, fact achievement challenges, and arcade action levels help players build their health knowledge. Interactive segments teach how medical tools like a stethoscope and pressure cuff help diagnose cardiovascular disease. Dynamic simulations illustrate the dangerous effects of high blood pressure and high blood cholesterol.
“In planning this app, we asked health professionals working in children’s hospitals what are the biggest health challenges kids today are facing. High blood pressure and childhood obesity go hand in hand,” notes Principal Investigator Darrell Porcello, who is Director of the Center for Technology Innovation and the national Howtosmile.org project at the Lawrence Hall of Science. “By playing the Monster Heart Medic game, kids will be making healthy lifestyle choices for their monster. The gameplay will also encourage kids to think about and make healthier choices when it comes to their own food and activities.”
Monster Heart Medic is designed for kids ages 9-11, but older kids and adults can play along with younger family members, friends or students. As they help Ragnar the monster, players become more aware of their own and their families' health habits, and are encouraged to think about and try healthy options in their own lives. The game draws all its health recommendations from established sources including the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Monster Heart Medic game is a companion app to DIY Human Body, one of a series of free, DIY informal science learning apps developed by Lawrence Hall of Science. These apps, which also include DIY Nano, DIY Nano HD, and DIY Sun Science, let families and learners of all ages explore science anywhere with engaging hands-on STEM activities, interactives, and educational videos.
At Howtosmile.org, you can find all kinds of STEM activities to expand the learning about the cardiovascular system and other aspects of human health.