Schell Games developing HIV education title

Schell Games has entered into a partnership with Yale University to develop a game aimed at educating teenagers about HIV infection and sexual health.

The project is being undertaken as part of the university’s Play2Prevent initiative, founded in 2010 by the US-based Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Set for release in late 2012 on smartphones and tablets, there will be a clinical trial of 300 randomly selected children in order to playtest the title’s effectiveness.

“The project’s goal is to develop and evaluate an interactive video game designed to provide at-risk young teens the opportunity to acquire and practice skills in order to avoid or reduce their risk behaviors,” says the game’s official website.

“This video game will be built incorporating evidence-based tools for behavior change including message framing delay discounting, social learning theory and self-efficacy.”