Coco’s Cove Wants to Help Gamers Understand Diabetes

Diabetes affects millions of Americans.

Diabetes affects millions of Americans. I’m one of them, actually. I have type 2 diabetes, which means that my body does not correctly use insulin to break down sugar. Therefore, I have to manually moderate the glucose levels in my bloodstream through diet and medication. It’s a little annoying.

So when I heard about, I couldn’t help but be interested.

In this app for Android devices, players take on the role of Coco, a monkey who explores the jungle, solving puzzles and searching for good things to eat. If she goes too long without eating, she starts to feel lousy, which makes her grumpy. If she eats the wrong thing, it makes her sleepy. The player slowly learns which are appropriate snacks for little Coco, and how to keep her from going too long without food. These are important things to know, because Coco has type 2 diabetes.

The game was developed at Bradley Universityin Peoria, Illinois, which is one of the United States’ top schools for game design. Seven students – Bobbi Schultz, John Medwick, Robert Miller, Heath Moore, Caleb Bill, Eric Arbizanni, and Gregor Armstrong – banded together in hopes of creating an entertaining game that would “show the effects of blood sugar imbalances in those with type 2 diabetes.” The game has multiple levels for Coco to explore, and her adventures subtly demonstrate how the disease is experienced by those who live with it, though in a humorous and lighthearted way.

“We are excited to continue our innovative research into games for improving health,” says Dr. Monica McGill, Associate Professor and Game Design Lead. “Games are a powerful medium, and Coco’s Cove is another tool created to help the nearly 30 million Americans who live with type 2 diabetes every day.”

The students wanted to educate the public about type 2 diabetes without preaching or boring them. “In games like this, it is important to realize that fun must always be present. No one wants to play a preachy game,” says McGill. “We designed Coco’s Cove to be fun for anyone, whether or not they have Diabetes or Prediabetes.”

Coco’s Cove , designed by game design students and published by Mariaty, is available exclusively from the Google Play Storefor $0.99 USD.