Share Paper: Health Hero: A Game Prototype For Children

1. Lyn Ackerman, University of Hawaii, United States
2. Billy Meinke, University of Hawaii, United States
3. Susan St John, University of Hawaii, United States

Abstract: A film entitled Super Size Me examined the American people’s love of fast food and big portions. It followed the filmmaker’s 30-day journey as he ate all his meals at McDonald’s and dangerously increased his body mass. The film graphically portrayed the county’s problem with obesity. The authors address this problem by creating a prototype of an interactive video game that helps children to learn about good health habits. The single-player adventure game prototype, Health Hero, uses good game elements reported by James Paul Gee and Richard Rouse III and incorporates Robert Gagne’s principles of instructional design. The game targets ...