Re-Mission (game)

I'm 24+ and study in a field that needs continuous, tremendous application and can ill afford the time for anything else, yet I too am addicted to gaming - computer gaming. Starting from Prince of Persia way down the years I've played a lot of games. I do not claim to be a hard-core gamer or guru, though. I'm just your average young John Doe Siripala Gamlath. And hence this is no review, just a musing, a story of a game.



I had heard of games being used for therapeutic purposes in random whisperings, nothing proven, but when I chanced upon Re-Mission I was pleasantly surprised. Re-mission as the website pointed out was a game developed by HopeLab ('a non-profit organisation dedicated to developing cutting edge interventions for young people with chronic illness') with a futuristic theme in the 2020s when nanotechnology is very advanced and nanobots are used to fight illness at a cellular level.



Re-mission is a TPS (third person shooter) in which you play as one of these uber-cool nanobots...

Let me just quote from their description...



"An epic battle rages deep in the realms of the human body. Colonies of microscopic cancer cells replicate, attack and damage healthy organs. Enter Roxxi, your gutsy and fully armed nanobot, and medicine's mightiest warrior. Lead her through challenging missions and rapid-fire assaults on malignant cells, wherever they hide. It's the world's smallest battlefield, yet the stakes have never been higher."

So being interested I digg some more and find out they are distributing the game for free to kids with cancer in the US of A. Not being a 'kid' still just out of curiosity and fun I signed up a form detailing my particulars and condition requesting for a DVD version of the game. It was just a wild grab, they did not undertake overseas delivery and who'd mail me all the way from USA??



However two weeks later, in my mailbox...

I was elated and powered up the bed-top to try it out.



So, Remission is good. It is pleasing to the eye, and I could find no glaring glitches in the animation, controls or gameplay. That's all I'll say coz that's all I know about the technical aspects.



What Roxxi (the nanobot) is doing is hitting the cancer cells and infections inside the body using traditional methods (weapons) of chemotherapy and antibiotics. The game consists of numerous missions in which Roxxi helps out patients (mostly kids) to eradicate typical young cancer's like, Non-hodgkins Lymphoma, Leukaemia, Brain tumours etc. There is also a background story on each of these patients giving the players an idea of the scenarrios surrounding the cancer and how treatment is undertaken.

 

Why I love this game and why I've posted it on my blog is due to the proven health benefit on kids playing Re-mission. This game is distributed free to kids with cancer for them to identify with it. They see that they are not alone in the world of cancer, the symptoms they are experienceing are not unique but shared accross the board. They learn about the disease process and what happens to the body, and the importance of taking medicine, relaxation and other therapeutic measures. It improves their self-efficacy and restores in them the belief that they can kick cancer's butt.



The game is unique in that Roxxi never 'dies' she just powers down and then you are allowed to begin again a few steps behind where the casualty occured. This succeeds in keeping out the gloomy prospect of death while subtly implying that to beat cancer you need to keep on trying and trying, and then you get better and hopefully you can win.



"..We are hitting a very elusive enemy, the toughest, Cancer!"



The positive effects of this game has been proven by scientific studies. And it's exciting and fun to play also.



If I hadn't played it myself I'd never have thought a game about cancer could be fun!