TickAttack™ is a fast-paced game designed to teach players ages 8 and up how to avoid tick bites and prevent tick-borne diseases like Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. Through mini-games and educational dialogues, players learn practical tips for protecting themselves and their pets from ticks, with real patient images and true/false questions to debunk common misconceptions. Developed with input from medical experts, the game aims to raise awareness and encourage behavior changes that can significantly reduce the risk of tick-borne illnesses.
TickAttack™ was produced by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Institute for Molecular Medicine and Infectious Disease. The department employed two co-op students from Drexel University's Game Design and Production program to work collaboratively with Microbiology and Immunology faculty.
This is the fifth award winning game produced by the department. Other games to place at the Serious Play International Compeititon were CD4 Hunter (Bronze 2018) and CRISPR Cutout (Silver). Malaria Invasion won a creativity award (2019) from the International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases and Hep B-Ware won 3rd place (2021) from the European Conference on Game-Based Learning.
News
TickAttack has won a Gold Award at the Serious Play 2024 International Competition.
Game Design:
Quinn Williams and Camryn Schorder
Project Director:
Mary Ann Comunale, EdD and Elise Moser, PhD
Subject Matter Experts:
Mary Ann Comunale, EdD; Elise Mosser, PhD; Liz Horn, PhD and George Dempsey, MD
Translator:
Julio Martin-Garcia
IMMID Games
- TickAttack™ (2024 International Serious Play Awards Gold Award)
- CRISPR Cutout™ (International Serious Play Awards Silver Medal)
- CD4 Hunter™ (2018 International Serious Play Awards Bronze Medal)
- Malaria Invasion™ (International Society for Neglected Tropical Diseases 2019 Creativity Award)
- Hep B-Ware™ (2021 European Conference on Game-Based Learning 3rd Place)