[News] Game Supported by ACC to help prevent injuries

Swarms of zombies are reported to have entered a Kiwi home, leaving a trail of dangerous hazards for humans in their wake! ACC is today asking Kiwis to rise up to meet the zombie challenge – and learn a few things about preventing injuries around the home at the same time.

Thankfully for those who live in fear of a zombie apocalypse, these zombies aren’t real – they’re characters in ‘Safe House’, a free video game, developed by InGame and supported by ACC.

The game was launched today, and is available online at www.safehouse.co.nz, and as an app for iPhone and Android smartphones.

ACC’s Head of Insurance Products and Injury Prevention, David Simpson, says:

“Every year, more than 10,000 Kiwis need to take a week or more off work because of a home fall, so we’re exploring innovative ways to encourage people to take more care.”

“Players of Safe House will learn a lot about common hazards in the home, which is where most injuries happen.”

Mr Simpson says this is the first time ACC has supported a ‘serious’ game as part of its injury prevention work, and will evaluate it to assess the merit of supporting similar initiatives in the future.

Dr Martin Waiguny, Senior Lecturer in Advertising at the AUT Business School, says there’s compelling evidence that video games, as well as being fun to play, can also help change behaviour.

“Research shows that games don’t just communicate messages, they make people experience those messages.  This is a key difference that sets them apart from other types of communication.”

Mr Simpson says the growing popularity of video games means they provide ACC with a potentially powerful medium for communicating injury prevention messages.

“With this game, we’re targeting people in the 20-40 year-old age bracket, because contrary to popular belief, it’s not just older people and the very young who get injured at home.”

Research shows the average age of New Zealand game players is 33 years old.

Of course, Safe House is first and foremost a game, and InGame Director Stephen Knightly says it’s been designed to be both exciting and challenging to play.

“Safe House is a twist on zombie survival games, but players don’t have any guns or traditional weapons, so they must figure out how to use everyday household objects against the invading zombies.  The game is also full of little surprises for experienced game players to discover.”

The Safe House game was one of the winning ideas in ACC’s 2012 ‘Idea Nation’ competition, which sought innovative ways to reduce falls around the home.

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