Boehringer developing Facebook game
pharmafile | November 15, 2011 | News story | Medical Communications | Boehringer Ingelheim, Facebook
Boehringer Ingelheim is developing a new Facebook civilisation game in the hopes of helping the public understand the difficulty involved in research and development.
The game will be called Syrum and could be described as a version of Facebook’s Farmville crossed with the Japanese game Pokémon. The objective of Syrum is nothing short of saving the world, one disease at a time, by harvesting molecules and then using them as trading cards to play against diseases.
A player must first investigate molecular compounds at a research desk before putting them to the test in the laboratory, then conduct clinical trials and, if successful, advance a treatment to market.
There is also a strong social media element to the game as players can invite friends, power up to find new compounds, buy gifts and take on different challenges. John Pugh, head of online communications for Boehringer, told Medical Marketing & Media:
“I wanted to create something unique and different that people will love playing – it’s about pharma and fun.” Aside from the fun element, the reasoning for the game is fairly clear – Boehringer are using this platform to deliver its long-term message of how difficult it can be to research and develop drugs, potentially making the public more sympathetic to the process and costs involved.
Pugh said: “I’m not saying I’m the saviour of the pharma industry, but if in some way this helps people to experience and better understand the challenges [that pharma faces], that can only be a good thing.” Syrum is currently in beta testing and Pugh is aiming to have it released by the end of the year.
Ben Adams is the reporter for Pharmafocus and InPharm.com. He can be contacted via: email or Twitter.
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