Can video games help children understand concussions and when to sit out of sports play?

Heads Up Rocket Blades is a game available in the iTunes App Store to help children understand what a concussion is and what symptoms they should watch out for, in hopes they tell a parent or adult in the event they hit their head in real-life sports activities.

We conducted thirteen in-person beta testing sessions of the app with children aged 6-8 years old and collaborated with Banyan Communications to document key findings and recommendations for improvement; subsequently developed additional key messages for the game to clarify player instructions. The framework for app development was published in the Journal of Health Promotion Practice. Our Principal Strategist presented on the formative research framework for the development of the game at the 2017 American Public Health Association Annual Conference.