Digital Pharma: UK election check-up
pharmafile | April 26, 2010 | News story | Medical Communications | NHS, digi game, election, general election
A new lighthearted game from The Kings Fund aims to educate players on the three main political parties’ health and social care policies.
Health is the second most important issue to the public when voting and, as campaigning for the UK’s general election on 6 May approaches the final few weeks, the think tank hopes to tap into that interest.
The Kings Fund’s Your Election Check-Up, which is available on its election mini-site, features a series of rapid-fire questions, many of which involve moving humorous images of the party leaders – their animated faces topping off cartoon white coats and stethoscopes – to the correct statements.
For example, “Whose policy is it anyway?” gives a choice of locally elected health boards (Liberal Democrat commitment), a new Department for Public Health (Conservatives) and cancer tests and results within a week (Labour).
There are also ‘missing words’ questions whose style will be recognised by fans of TV show Have I Got News For You.
Other questions include identifying the three possible health secretaries post-election from a number of mugshots half-covered by surgical masks.
Red herrings include Peter Andre, and rapper Tinchy Stryder (who is managed by the son of real Lib Dem health spokesman Norman Lamb).
The short game is entertaining, but has a serious purpose, explained King’s Fund director of communications Rebecca Gray.
“When we came up with the concept we knew the game would need to be fun and witty, but not too frivolous and definitely hold some informative value,” she said.
“The aim is to hook people into the issues and prompt them to visit The King’s Fund’s site to access our more in-depth resources.”
The think-tank’s General Election 2010 micro-site puts the parties’ health policies under the microscope, analyses key health issues in the election campaign, and amalgamates relevant commentary, analysis and blogs from outside sources.
Gray said the ultimate aim was to “promote the more heavyweight work we do in shaping health and social care policy”.
The game was created by web agency Torchbox from a brief which asked for a “fun and different” way to illustrate the health and social care policies of the three main political parties.
To date 12,300 people have started playing Your Election Check-Up, with 4,800 completing it, the Kings Fund said.
Dominic Tyer is web editor for Pharmafocus and InPharm.com and the author of the Digital Pharma blog He can be contacted via email, Twitter or LinkedIn.
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