A Melbourne doctor and friend have turned to crowdfunding in order to generate interest in a card game that teaches kids about vaccinations.
The card game, Vaxcards, works along very similar lines to other popular games of its type, using bright cartoon illustrations and a simple set of rules in the hope of encouraging kids to use them in the playground.
Each of the cards represents a different type of contagion, such as Schistosomiasis, Pertussis, Tetanus and Leishmaniasis, in the form of quirky characters.
Dr Daniel Epstein and Adam Zemski came up with the idea when considering how to make the concept of immunisation more appearing to schoolchildren.
“The game mechanics are based on symptoms and statistics from the real diseases, so this hame has huge appeal for science teachers as well when teaching students about the human body and its immune system,” Dr Epstein said.
The concept is currently being run as a startup business, allowing the pair to produce and distribute the cards as it scales up. They are specifically designed to be affordable, at $20 for all five available decks.
“We’re also offering discounted print-and-play PDF files and a free starter deck via our website, which gets players started with the first 10 cards.
“Down the track we hope to use funding to further translate the game into several languages and distribute alongside vaccination programs to places and people that need education and reward for vaccination the most,” Dr Epstein explained.
You can find out more about Vaxcards and how to play via their website.
