July 2, 2009

Web-based Video Game Educates Positive Teens

A new Web-based game called +CLICK (Positive Click) is educating HIV-positive teens about how to avoid transmitting the virus to their sexual partners, Reuters reports.

Developed by researchers from the University of Texas School of Public Health (UTSPH), the game allows players to navigate a virtual shopping mall while learning lessons based on condom use, abstinence and birth control. Videos of HIV-positive teens and field experts are integrated into gameplay to supplement the other educational materials.

“We wanted to create +CLICK so that we could help educate youth on the importance of making proper, healthy decisions to protect their relationships and themselves, as well as help to reduce transmission [of HIV],” lead researcher Christine M. Markham, PhD, of the UTSPH, said in a statement.

According to a study, 84 percent of participants rated the game as easy to use, while 94 percent regarded it as “trustworthy.” Eighty-eight percent reported they would use the game again.

Search: Positive Click, +CLICK, video game, University of Texas School of Public Health, teen

Scroll down to comment on this story.

Previous Comments: