FluGames

THE PANDEMIC
With regard to influenza, it is common knowledge that each year the world faces a seasonal peak
of virulence. “Avian influenza” and “pandemic influenza” have become household topics. Using
historical data from previous pandemics, we realize the potential magnitude of a modern-day
pandemic. Using data from the 1918 pandemic, The Center for Disease Control and Prevention
quotes potential loss of life at more than 1,903,000 within the United States and over 50,000,000
worldwide.1 Additionally, modern methods of transportation, communication, and lifestyle
mean the effects of a pandemic event would be absolutely devastating.

HOSPITAL STRAIN
Our game addresses the fact that, in the event of an outbreak, we can anticipate major resource
and staffing shortages across the nation. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
includes staffing shortages in its list of Pandemic Planning Assumptions, stating that “In a severe
pandemic, absenteeism attributable to illness, the need to care for ill family members, and fear of
infection may reach 40% during the peak weeks of a community outbreak, with lower rates of
absenteeism during the weeks before and after the peak”.2 This absenteeism will be seen across
all occupations, and will be most visible in healthcare workers. The absenteeism rate will
severely restrict the ability of hospitals to diagnose and treat patients. Additionally, every time a
patient enters the public for treatment, the risk of spreading the virus greatly increases.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in coordination with the World Health
Organization and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, have published a set of
“Pandemic Planning Assumptions” to better prepare public health officials, healthcare workers,
and the public in general. Included in these assumptions are projections of the affect of a
pandemic on our population within the United States based on previous pandemic events.

Characteristic Moderate (1958/68-like) Severe (1918-like)

Illness 90 million (30%) 90 million (30%)

Outpatient medical care 45 million (50%) 45 million (50%)

Hospitalization 865,000 9,900,000

ICU care 128,750 1,485,000

Mechanical ventilation 64,875 745,500

Deaths 209,000 1,903,000

www.pandemicflu.gov

The DHHS includes a disclaimer with these statistics, stating that these estimates are “based on
extrapolation from past pandemics in the United States. Note that these estimates do not include
the potential impact of interventions not available during the 20th century pandemics.”

Planning assumptions quote the patient population requiring hospital-level care at approximately
9,900,000, only 11% of the overall infected population. If we can create a mechanism that will
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2
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restrict the spread of an influenza outbreak, triage patients and observe their symptoms in the
natural quarantine of their own home, as well as keep patients up to date with accurate
information on alternate care sites and government-issued alerts, this would alleviate strain on
Emergency Departments.

SOCIAL DISTANCING AND TELECOMMUNICATION

The CDC recently released a comprehensive new document “that focuses on several measures
other than vaccination and drug treatment that might be useful during an influenza pandemic to
reduce its harm.” Of the many practices they suggest, isolation and quarantine are at the top of
the list. We particularly wish to emphasize the last two of their four recommendations:

3. Dismissal of students from school and school-based activities…closure of childcare programs,

coupled with protecting children and teenagers through social distancing… to achieve reductions of
out-of-school social contacts and community mixing.

4. Use of social distancing to reduce contact among adults, for example, cancellation of public
gatherings and alteration of work environments and schedules to decrease social density and
preserve a healthy workplace without disrupting essential services.

Facilitating social distancing is one of the goals of FluGames. We propose utilizing one of our
greatest developments—computer technology and the internet—as a solution to both reducing
the transmission of a pandemic virus and addressing the absenteeism rate that will be seen in
healthcare workers. Both the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention recommend that businesses plan for telecommuting. Hospitals
across the nation are currently tasked with establishing “Alternate Care Sites” to treat less acute
patients and reserve hospital beds and ventilators for patients of the highest acuity. If patients
could “telecommute” to the doctor’s office, we could drastically reduce hospital strain and
reduce the spread of the virus.

THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING

With regard to patient responsibility, there have been many studies published on personal
planning for disasters, particularly following national events like the terrorist attacks of
September 11th 2001 and the 2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. In a non-partisan report to the
private sector, public polling supports that “a majority (54%) of people admit that one reason
they choose not to be more prepared is because they do not believe that a disaster will affect
them personally.”

Although some natural disasters are more likely to occur in specific geographical locations and
perhaps terrorist events are more likely in areas of high commerce or government, it is
abundantly clear that a pandemic will affect all of us universally and without discrimination.
The report goes on to say that, “half (52%) of Americans now admit that one reason they have
not done more is simply because they have not thought about it, and nearly half (45%) say that
they have not done more to prepare because they believe that nothing they could do would really
be effective.”3
3
“The Aftershock of Katrina and Rita: Public Not Moved To Prepare.” Report prepared by the Peter D. Hart
Research Associates and Public Opinion Strategies for The Council for Excellence in Government and the
American Red Cross (Dec 2005).
Emergency preparations prior to a pandemic as well as increased education on good public
health practices during a pandemic will save lives. We plan to propose user-friendly planning
and educational tools to demonstrate effective preparatory efforts. For this reason, we have
placed equal amounts of emphasis on how our games look both before and during a flu outbreak.
A description of how the games differ according to scenario is given in detail below.

HOW FLUGAMES WORKS

The two main foci of our project are (1) to encourage personal patient responsibility to reduce
the transmission of a pandemic virus and (2) alleviate the strain of healthcare worker
absenteeism rates during a pandemic by keeping patients who are not in need of immediate care
out of care facilities. We have designed three casual games aimed at achieving these goals by
doing the following:

1. Tracking Patient’s Symptoms and Whereabouts

During the initial stages of a pandemic, it will be vital to track the spread of the virus in
an effort to reduce transmission. Current public health and hospital surveillance systems
only work when infected patients present to hospitals. At present, there is no automated
process for determining where infected persons have been and who they have been in
contact with. In addition, keeping track of patients will allow us to provide them with
accurate information in the form of government communications and updates regarding
alternate care sites.

2. Teaching Public Health Practices

If we can teach the public two of the most important public health practices—proper
hand-washing technique and respiratory etiquette—we can drastically cut down on the
spread of flu, and therefore reduce the number of patients in need of critical care.

PLAYER REQUIREMENTS AND CASUAL GAMES

We envision FluGames being played by as many people as possible. While it would be hard to
imagine a toddler playing the game on a computer without the help of an adult, we certainly see
the potential for children interacting with the interface and becoming familiar with its objectives.
This would, in effect, help an entire population become familiar with the game, so that if an
outbreak should occur, the data would be as accurate and thorough as possible.

And so in determining the type of gameplay for FluGames, we first needed to analyze the
targeted user. If everyone has practiced and experienced the patterns we wish to instill in the
public prior to an outbreak, we will have a higher rate of success when it occurs. For this reason,
we believe casual games are ideal—it is the easiest type of game to play. If our game included
the use of expansive story lines, multiplayer scenarios, and complex levels, a large portion of our
intended audience would be lost. The casual games will differ in appearance according to three
specific scenarios the public may face:

SCENARIO DESCRIPTION
Preparation/Planning: No outbreak
Performance 1: Possible outbreak: cases starting to appear
 Performance 2: Widespread flu outbreak

Scenario 1: Preparation
During the preparation phase, all three of our games will be playable not just on computers, but
through other media as well, in magazines, newspapers and consumer goods packaging. We
envision many brands and other consumer-focused businesses prominently employing the game
on their packaging. The gameplay will, in essence, remain the same as the online, computerized
versions (as described in the other two scenarios). If enough people are familiar with the game
before an outbreak, it will be easier for them to interact with online when it is performing its
central purpose.

The public health practice games will play an equally important role during the initial phase of
an outbreak, when it will be absolutely crucial for the public to do everything it can to prevent a
full-scale pandemic. This means as much quarantine as possible and practicing recommended
health practices. Our hygiene games meet both these objectives: the games teach people the
mechanics of proper public health practices; furthermore, the fact that the game is played on
personal computers in one’s home means they are staying inside.

Where were you in the past 24 Hours? Play by dragging the Wash your hands by Can you keep germs from spreading by drawing
locations into the correct circle! coloring in the hand! the sneeze into the right place?

Scenario 2: Possible Outbreak

During Scenario 2, FluScout is performing its most important functions: tracking the origins of a
new strain of influenza and monitoring the symptoms of possible victims. Meanwhile, the
hygiene games help remind users of safe public health practices, thereby preventing a possible
outbreak from becoming a full-blown one.4

Scenario 3: Full-Scale Outbreak

FluScout serves two purposes in Scenario 3: (1) Symptoms will be analyzed in order to keep
track of off-site patients and (2) FluScout will keep track of players’ locational data for providing
accurate government publications and announcements related to the player’s specific
whereabouts. Without the third phase of the game, a player may be confused by the numerous
announcements heard in the media. FluScout will provide them with accurate information in the
comfort of their own home.

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It is important to note that Scenario 1 gameplay is designed for both electronic and non-electronic play, while
gameplay in Scenarios 2 and 3 (and therefore the majority of our proposal) can only be played on the computer.
Regarding the hygiene games (Sneezer and Clean-Up), there is no difference between the
Scenario 2 and Scenario 3. During a full-scale outbreak, the public must do everything it can to
prevent themselves from either spreading or capturing the flu. We see our hygiene games as a
pertinent reminder as to what can be done to accomplish this.

FluScout
Planning notes on infection state that the typical incubation period (interval between infection
and onset of symptoms) for influenza is approximately 2 days. Persons who become ill may shed
virus and can transmit infection for up to one day before the onset of illness. Viral shedding and
the risk of transmission will be greatest during the first 2 days of illness.5

To help track the spread of an outbreak and monitor its victims, we propose a fun, interactive
memory game that (1) trains users to recall when and where they have been in the past 48 hours
and (2) collects symptom data in order to help BIDMC keep tabs on self-quarantined Flu
Victims. During an outbreak, players will effectively become primary sources of data for
BIDMC: because the game is connected to the internet, the output derived from each player
(symptoms, and location timeline in past 48 hours) will be sent to a dedicated server for analysis.

Scenario 1 (Planning) Gameplay

While the performance phase of the game is clearly the most crucial part of our game, it is also
important to discuss the first part of the game that people will see. With FluScout, our intention
is to actually train people to execute specific patterns (in this case, we are training users to recall
the sequence and locations of their movements in the past). As noted above, we see a simplified
version of FluScout available not only online, but on packaged goods, print media, and
government publications.

To do this, we envision the same interface described in the Performance Phase (see below), but
with two main differences:

1. Only One Stage (12 Hours)

The simplified version of the game will only compel a user to remember where he or she
was in the last 12 hours. Our intention is to make people familiar with the process in a
way that isn’t too challenging. Additionally, presenting a user with only one stage of the
game allows us to present the game in one simplified picture.

2. Drawing Lines Instead of Dragging Icons

Players will draw lines from the correct location icon to the corresponding location on the
event horizon. This makes it easy for people to play the game on the go.

Scenario 2 Gameplay
The following section covers the most important element of FluScout’s gameplay—that is, the
online, computerized experience a player will have when playing the game during the initial
stage of a flu outbreak (Scenarios 2 and 3). The game begins and ends with the same interface:

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www.pandemicflu.gov
Location /Symptom
Icons Location
Category Circle
Blank
Location Icon

Time
Horizon

Timer

Progress Meter

Location Category Circle

The large circle surrounding the line is made up of many different smaller circles, which we call
location icons. The large circle is separated into four sections, each of which corresponds to a
specific category of location that a user may have been in the past 48 hours: Work, Community,
Family, and Life.

Location/Symptom Icons
Each location icon within the four location category sections refers to a specific location where
the player may have been. These location icons include the most likely places a user has been in
the past 48 hours. The player will also have the ability to customize a specific blank icon each
time a situation occurs in which an icon does not exist for a particular place the user has visited
(note the blank location icon in the diagram above).

Prior to the main memory game, these location icons will appear as symptom icons—the
user must drag the ones that correspond to his or her condition inside the circle before accessing
the main memory game.

Time Horizon
Each stage of the game relates to a specific period of time in the past 48 hours. The horizontal
line in the middle of the circle represents this period of time, which the player uses as a reference
for determining his or her movements within the past.

PLAYING THE GAME

In order to win the game, the user must recount his symptoms and past locations. If the player
does not complete the game in a pre-determined amount of time, he loses. The game is played by
dragging Symptom icons, then Location Icons onto the Time Horizon according to the player’s
specific sequence of movements in the past.

The game progresses in a series of four stages, with each stage representing a specific section of
time in the past 48 hours. Each stage is additionally split into 4 portions, resulting in 16
individual levels through which the player must progress:6

Stage 1: 00-12 Hours in the past Stage 2: 12 – 24 Hours in the past

Portion 1: 00 – 03 Hours in the past Portion 1: 12 – 15 Hours in the past

Portion 2: 03 – 06 Hours in the past Portion 2: 15 – 18 Hours in the past
Portion 3: 06 – 09 Hours in the past Portion 3: 18 – 21 Hours in the past
Portion 4: 09 – 12 Hours in the past Portion 4: 21 – 24 Hours in the past

Stage 3: 24 – 36 Hours in the past Stage 4: 36 – 48 Hours in the past

Portion 1: 24 – 27 Hours in the past Portion 1: 36 – 39 Hours in the past

Portion 2: 27 – 30 Hours in the past Portion 2: 39 – 42 Hours in the past
Portion 3: 30 – 33 Hours in the past Portion 3: 42 – 45 Hours in the past
Portion 4: 33 – 36 Hours in the past Portion 4: 45 – 48 Hours in the past

PROGRESSION AND FAILURE

The user has a variety of means by which a player is kept aware of his or her progression. When
a portion of each stage is completed, the player is provided with a small, pleasing animation
involving the entire interface. The player is provided with a much larger, more elaborate
animation for completing an entire stage. Furthermore, the “% completed” HUD in the lower left
corner of the screen keeps a player aware of his or her overall progression.

In terms of difficulty, FluScout follows the standard video game model, beginning with an easy
challenge and growing more difficult as the player progresses. The game begins with the
immediate past; the farther back one must remember, the harder the game becomes. It is
important to note that we have designed the game to move from present to past not only for the
sake of replicating the standard progression of difficulty, but also because it has proven to be the
most accurate method of recall—we conducted a survey of our friends and coworkers in attempts
to determine which method was most commonly used, and found that the majority started at the
present and worked their way back.

In order to provide players with a greater sense of challenge, we have also designed a time limit
for the completion of each stage. The digital hour-glass in the lower right corner of the screen
represents the time allotted for each stage. The time limit helps focus a player’s mental efforts on
the task at hand and engages the player to a greater degree.

Once each four stages of the game are completed, the player receives a summary that guides him
6
Note that each portion of the game is presented in relation to the specific time at which the game is being played.
For example, if a player was playing at 03:36 PM on a Sunday afternoon, the first portion of the game would be
presented to the player as ‘12:36 PM – 03:36 PM, Friday Afternoon,’ rather than ‘00 – 03 Hours in the past.’
 or her through the past 48 hours. This final sequence will serve two purposes: it will allow the
player to double check his entries over the past 48 hours, and then finally allow the user to enter
the exact location data for each place he or she has been. Each location icon will contain a field
where the player can enter the exact address of the location.

Player enters
Once the player verifies
location data here each place, the sequence of
these locations, and enters
the exact address of each
location, the data is
uploaded to the main
server for further analysis
and the game session
considered over.

Scenario 3 Gameplay
The game’s central objectives change in the event of a widespread flu outbreak. Even though it
will no longer be possible to track the virus, knowing how a patient’s symptoms are progressing,
where patients are, and places to which patients have access will play an important role in
remotely providing relief. Because of this, we see FluScout as a means of monitoring the
recoveries of many patients and providing patients with relevant, up to date information
regarding nearby locations they can visit for relief items (shelter, supplies, etc).

To do this, we use the same interface described in Scenario 2, but with two differences:

1. Only One Stage (12 Hours)

We must assume that, during the most severe stage of the outbreak, patients will not be as
capable as they were during the initial stages. Furthermore, 12 hours of location data will
be sufficient for accurately providing patients with pertinent information (see
‘Information Column’ below).

2. Information Column
As users play FluScout during Scenario 3, a column will remain present during gameplay
that keeps them up to date. Information provided may include government-released
announcements, treatment locations, and other pertinent dispatches.

Hygiene Games

RESPIRATORY ETIQUETTE GAME: “SNEEZER”

In Sneezer, a player must successfully contain the cloud of germs he emits whenever he sneezes.

Scenario 1 (Planning) Gameplay

Sneezer’s central aim is to make users aware of the importance of sneezing into one’s elbow.
Therefore, Sneezer’s preparation phase Gameplay teaches a user to associate sneezing with
one’s elbow. To do this, we propose a drawing mechanic using lines: the user is directed to draw
the sneeze as it issues from the face into the elbow. Users will use whatever writing implement
they have at their disposal to ‘draw the sneeze.’ We see this as a great opportunity to tap into
‘doodlers’ who would otherwise be drawing items of little or no importance: every time the user
draws a line between the elbow and the face, we are essentially reinforcing the correct pattern in
the user’s mind.

Scenario 2 Gameplay
Using the mouse, the player moves his right hand and elbow in the vicinity of his mouth and
nose. He does not know when the sneeze is coming (obviously, a player cannot cheat by
perpetually holding his elbow over his face—the hand reverts to the right side of the screen after
each sneeze).

When a sneeze occurs, the player must quickly bring his elbow as
close to his mouth as possible before the full force of the sneeze
transmits the germs beyond the span of his arm. The closer the player
brings his elbow to his nose and mouth, the higher he scores. Germs
emitted from the nose and mouth leave a colorful residue on
whichever part of the arm the player covered the sneeze with,
allowing him to see where the germs went.

If the player fails to cover the sneeze with any part of the hand, he
loses the maximum number of points and sees the germs spread out.
This results in a visual representation of the consequences that result
from improperly containing germs.

Gameplay grows more difficult as one advances through the game. In

the beginning, the sound of an upcoming sneeze (‘ah…choo!’) help
warn a player to move his elbow over his face. But as the game
progresses, the sneezes occur at faster, more erratic rates.

Tissue Bonus: Tissues will appear at various times during the game,
offering the player a chance to score extra points. If the player can
catch the tissue and place it over his mouth in time to contain the
sneeze, all the germs are collected in the tissue. The player sees the
tissues contain the germs, and watches the tissue get thrown out. This
results in a visual reminder to the player of how tissues help contain
the spread of germs.

HAND HYGIENE GAME: “CLEAN-UP”

In Clean-Up, a player must successfully rid his hands of bacteria by correctly washing his hands.

Scenario 1 Gameplay
Clean-Up’s central focus is the successful application of anti-bacterial agents to all of the
important areas on the hand. While duration and mechanics of hand-washing are equally
important, we believe learning about the problem areas will be our game’s most helpful element.
For this reason, we envision the simplified, non-electronic version of Clean-Up as a simple
coloring game.
 Users will be presented with a picture of
a hand. The more problematic the area of
the hand for germs, the less the amount of
color used on that part of the hand (See
Page 4 To See the Scenario 1 Gameplay
Image).

Because problem areas of the hand will

lack the most amount of color, users will
focus their coloring efforts on these areas
of the hand, thereby learning which areas
of the hand need the most attention when
washing.

Scenario 2 Gameplay
The game begins with the player’s hands in a sink.
Score Because the player’s hands have not yet been cleaned,
they are contaminated. Just as germs are visibly
represented in Sneezer, germs are also visible on the
player’s hands in Clean-Up.

Before the player enters the Gameplay mode, a quick

animation shows the soap being applied to the hands.

At this point, the player gains control of his hands, and

has 10-15 seconds to wash his hands (the ideal length of
time for successfully washing one’s hands). In washing
his hands, the player must correctly apply the soap to his
hands in order to get rid of germs.

Once the allotted amount of time is up, the hands are

raised up closer to the screen and the remaining germs
become visible. In this way, the extent to which the
player was able to rid his hands of germs can be assessed
in an easy, visual way. The fewer germs remaining, the
higher the score.

The Gameplay increases in difficulty as the player continues. With each successive washing, the
player begins with more germs on his hands.

It is important to note that these additional germs will be placed in the most important parts of
the hands, which people either forget to wash or do not pay enough attention to. Specifically, we
are referring to the thumbs, back of hands, webs of fingers, under fingernails and above the wrist.
At the end of each Gameplay session, the player receives a score based on how well he cleaned
his hands. The player will also receive information on proper hand hygiene in relation to the
areas of the hand he missed. For instance, if the player loses points because he was unable to
properly clean his fingers, the player will be reminded of the importance of cleaning this area at
the end of the game.

HOW DOES THE GAME DESIGN ENABLE THE SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM?
Our series of casual games encourages the idea of personal responsibility for one’s health and in
doing so, assists health care professionals during a pandemic event.

1. FluScout can be used as a mechanism to triage patients, advise patients on self-treatment and isolation
at home, and push communications to the public.
2. Sneezer and Clean-Up will prevent further transmission of flu by teaching best public health practices.
3. Addresses the projected staffing problem with health care workers during a pandemic by proposing a
unique method of telecommuting for patients.
4. FluGames not only trains and assists the player, but also feed into infectious disease surveillance
programs to record and track data; unique mechanism of public reporting while encouraging
isolation precautions.
5. Mechanism for redundant communications to the public from government and public health
departments.

THE SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS ENVISIONED

One of the most crucial factors in the game’s design will involve its accessibility. While so many
of today’s popular console games push the ever-increasing limits of graphics and physics
engines, we believe that well crafted gameplay will—and must—take the place of a glitzy yet
ineffective design. The game must not require any special equipment or third party software. It
must be playable via the slowest internet connection, oldest version of Internet Explorer and the
slowest computer possible. By doing this, we ensure that the highest number of people—and
possible flu victims—will be able to play the game, thereby providing the most accurate data
possible.
In considering the type of software and hardware requirements for
FluGames, we wish to point out the possibility of integrating
FluGames with the One Laptop per Child (OLPC)7 program, a non-
profit association dedicated to developing a $100 laptop— a
technology that could revolutionize how we educate the world's
children. Making FluGames accessible on these laptops will help
prevent the spread of pandemic flu virus in impoverished nations.
Designing the game for greater accessibility has the added advantage of lowering the
development budget as well. Because our game is low tech, the resources required to implement
the game will be low enough to make it a feasible, executable solution after the competition.

DEVELOPMENT PLAN
Perhaps one of the strongest and most persuasive things about FluGames is how easily it could
be produced and implemented. Our research indicates that FluGames could become a reality for
modest resources in a short amount of time. In short, FluGames could be well on its way to
saving lives within months and at very low cost.

To get an accurate picture of the resources needed to create FluGames, we contacted Blockdot, a
developer of online casual games for business and educational purposes.8 Blockdot is incredibly
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8
www.blockdot.com
enthusiastic about our project, and agree that it would be very easy to create these
games—simple web development programs such as Flash or Director could be used to create
them. Blockdot estimated a development budget between $90,000 - $120,000 and a timeline of
eight to twelve weeks. Furthermore, Blockdot stated that it might even be possible to create
FluGames by reskinning their existing games, thereby reducing the overall cost and time of
development.

IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Public health practices are current initiatives of the Infection Control Department, which would
support advertising materials and assist in distribution of the game. The BIDMC Emergency
Management Department (already working on plans to alleviate projected staffing shortages)
would work to find staffing for the “tele-triage system.” The department also collaborates
closely with the Boston Public Health Commission and the Massachusetts Department of Public
Health, and believes that both agencies would support FluGames and assist with resources.

When considering an implementation plan for FluGames, one must consider the fact that its
gameplay varies according to different scenarios. This allows us to reduce risk and ensure
accurate design by rolling out the game in a series of overlapping stages. We would treat the first
stage of the game as a slowly expanding focus test, using Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
as the epicenter of an ever expanding awareness campaign that would literally put the games in
as many hands as possible. Initial stages of roll out would employ public safety pamphlets and
advertisements in print media. Focus tests and surveys would be conducted to verify that the
game was meeting its objectives.

Once sure that the game’s design was accurate, we would attempt a nationwide roll-out of the
Scenario 1 games. Data collected from our initial focus groups and surveys would be presented
to large corporations that might be willing to put the scenario 1 games on a variety of packaged
goods. While doing this, we could simultaneously begin development of the online games for
scenarios 2 and 3. Again, we would begin testing the online versions in Boston, using Beth Israel
Deaconess as the epicenter of the beta test. During initial focus group testing, the game would be
limited to the hospital setting. Voluntary flu victims could be urged to play the games. Just as
we waited for survey data to verify the successful design of our scenario 1 games, we would test
our Scenario 2 games until we were certain that they were ready for nationwide deployment.

FluGames must be free, because the target users are the greater public. Therefore, we intend to
seek corporate sponsorship9 or grant money in order to offer the game for free. Doctors and
public health officials would urge the public to utilize this resource—not just to educate oneself
on best public health practices, but to ultimately protect oneself during a pandemic. A
supporting website will provide the public health practices information, as well as supporting
data.

In closing, we wish to remind our readers of FluGames’ ability to save lives. Because Flu
Pandemic is a ‘hot topic’ every year, we also believe that choosing FluGames could raise
awareness of the Games For Health Competition, and the importance of its objectives and
initiatives.
9
3M or Johnson & Johnson, for example, may advertise the game on their packaging and website in order to
promote preparation and public health practices.