UNESCO launches first computer game for young people on HIV and AIDS
23-12-2010 (Paris)
Screenshot of the game
© UNESCO
UNESCO is launching the first interactive multimedia tool on HIV and AIDS prevention for youth, available in English, French and Russian. The computer game Fast Car: Travelling Safely around the World aims to provide young people with accurate and reliable information about HIV prevention, while educating, entertaining and promoting healthy behaviour.
The target audience for the game is young people from 16 to 24 years or older. Teenagers often want to talk to their parents about HIV-related issues, but may find it difficult to do so. Children may worry about parents’ disapproval and have fears about the risk of becoming infected with HIV. Parents are often shy, lack accurate information about HIV and AIDS, or do not have sufficient skills to speak about prevention with their children, and teachers frequently assume that parents will talk with children at home.
Fast Car: Travelling Safely around the World is the game that provides information on existing preventive practices, treatment and care for HIV and AIDS. The player can race on circuits on five different continents and virtually visit some of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. It also presents images of sites and interesting facts about them as players race by.
There are two tracks for each continent - a Preliminary track and a Championship track. Every track has a set of check points. At the check point one can take part in a Mini-Quiz and possibly earn a time bonus. The mini-quiz asks the player a multiple-choice question related to HIV and AIDS prevention.
The importance of the game consists in providing young people with information materials on HIV and AIDS that can be widely distributed through communication channels in order to help them to gain an accurate understanding of these issues and preventive practices. UNESCO expects that this may change their behaviour.
The following local researchers and experts contributed content for the game, working together to ensure its scientific accuracy: Path Ukraine (Ukraine), the Institution of Social Development (Viet Nam) and Heidelberg University, Department of Virology (Germany). Lakshya Digital Pvt. Ltd. (India) helped UNESCO to develop the game concept and realize it technically.
UNESCO has begun the development of a second interactive multimedia tool/computer game on HIV and AIDS.
Fast Car: Travelling Safely around the World is the game that provides information on existing preventive practices, treatment and care for HIV and AIDS. The player can race on circuits on five different continents and virtually visit some of the UNESCO World Heritage sites. It also presents images of sites and interesting facts about them as players race by.
There are two tracks for each continent - a Preliminary track and a Championship track. Every track has a set of check points. At the check point one can take part in a Mini-Quiz and possibly earn a time bonus. The mini-quiz asks the player a multiple-choice question related to HIV and AIDS prevention.
The importance of the game consists in providing young people with information materials on HIV and AIDS that can be widely distributed through communication channels in order to help them to gain an accurate understanding of these issues and preventive practices. UNESCO expects that this may change their behaviour.
The following local researchers and experts contributed content for the game, working together to ensure its scientific accuracy: Path Ukraine (Ukraine), the Institution of Social Development (Viet Nam) and Heidelberg University, Department of Virology (Germany). Lakshya Digital Pvt. Ltd. (India) helped UNESCO to develop the game concept and realize it technically.
UNESCO has begun the development of a second interactive multimedia tool/computer game on HIV and AIDS.
Related themes/countries
· Youth and ICT
· Weekly newsletter
· HIV and AIDS
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