Healthcare Communication
Focus on Healthcare Communication
(A lot of) communication and (some) fake news on drugs and health are encountered daily in social media. The health sector is centred on integrity – or often the lack of it. Communication and fake news on health matters are of interest to not only political and social organisations but also private companies, particularly in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries. We must not forget the huge amounts of profits at stake for many of the parties involved.
The aim of the game is to educate players on this complex system and play through the decision making practises of all involved. By exploring this space, players can experience the consequences of not cautiously considering information on health and verifying the source and its vested interests.
The Games
In this game, players act out decision making within this complex network of communication and health providers. Through acting, they will learn to discern between fact and opinion, news and scare-mongering, “experts” that can be trusted and those that cannot. The game provides empowerment to understand the network of interests that must be waded through to find credible information.
The Setting: Top Lazaretto – a virtual space which combines hospital, communication tower, and a place for social interaction. As a sort of quarantine, it provides a moment to stop, reflect, and act with greater consideration. It represents communication systems on health.
The Characters:
- Jenny, the protagonist
- Owner of a chemical company
- Politicians
The Plot:
- Jenny falls ill and needs to go to the doctor.
- She gets trapped in Top Lazaretto – a huge building with a maze of doors, corridors, and stairs. She is faced with a dizzying array of options: medicines, pharmacies, natural alternatives…
- She meets “helper” figures, but they are less than helpful. She comes up against varying expert opinions, the manipulation of fact by some practitioners with their own vested interests, or the advice of self-made “health coaches” on social media, and of course, the news rain that appears every day, every moment, on TV, social media, newspapers etc.