Orange, a European operator, recently organized a Serious Game development contest called Whosegame that ended on March 31st.  The hosts of this contest created an on-line platform allowing users to publish and share their completed games or assets used for the game they had designed.

The devil is in the details.

As they indicated it on the Whosegame FAQ, “The first concept of the site is to provide playful self-made video content, providing the opportunity for creators (developer, artist and game designer) to showcase their talents in creating video games.”  The First concept?  You mean there is a second one?  Indeed, a closer look at the games submitted revealed that only one was dedicated to health. The purpose of this health game is to discover how new technologies bring innovative answers in the health sphere. Efficiency, comfort and cost cuts: enough to revolutionize health professionals and patients everyday life.  Surprisingly, it was created by the health division of Orange, the organizer of the contest.  Moreover, no details are given on the judging panel, its composition or how the winners were selected.  Curious, isn’t it?

Good boy!

In the Mission E-Health game, the main character is a puppy that tries to solve problems for the inhabitants of Jolyville using e-health. The first mission is to bring care trays to patients in the hospital.  Personally, I was never able to pass this level after several attempts. However, the other missions are listed in the help section like to help a young diabetic male manage his disease, to help disoriented people localize themselves, and to help a physician with an on-line appointment solution.

Just an Orange self-promo?

As this game was created by Orange Healthcare division, it shouldn’t surprise anyone when I tell you that these solutions are already marketed by Orange.  So, one could surmise that Orange has created the whosegame contest in order to create a buzz in order to promote its e-health solutions through the only one game dedicated to health in this contest.  By the way, this contest was also used as recruiting tool for the next serious game to come.  In my previous post I reported that the government has announced that it has budgeted about 50 millions Euro (about 70 million USD) to be spent on serious games and web 2.0.  How much you bet Orange Healthcare is preparing itself to gain its share?  The contest is open!