Ah, spring and summer – the seasons where we fight with pollen, grass and any other triggers to cause our eyes to water and our noses to erupt in a string of sneezes. Fortunately for me, allergies aren’t too much of a problem but for many of  you who that’s the opposite, you’ll be glad to know healthGAMERS tracked down a fun game to help you feel better!

The people behind Nasonex, the allergy medication, have come up with ‘Don’t Blow It’ – a game to help educate and entertain consumers on how to avoid triggers to their allergies. Recently, I got to catch up with Julie Lux, Director, Global Product Communications & Advocacy Relations, Schering-Plough to get some answers about the interactive game.

HG: What at first spurred the idea of creating this game?

JL: A customer segmentation study indicated that an important target audience for a nasal allergy medication is women over 25 who are interested in sharing information online. This supported the research that women in this demographic enjoy online games, so it seemed an ideal way to disseminate important health information about nasal allergies in an entertaining and engaging way.

HG: Although the game focuses on a cartoonish-nose character, do you
think audiences other than kids will get something out of it or is it purely for young people?

JL: Ronnie Nose is a cartoon but “Don’t Blow It” – and Ronnie’s sense of
humor – was designed to appeal to adults. We’ve had some great
feedback from mom bloggers who say they enjoy the game themselves, and
tell us they’ve also had fun playing it with their kids.

HG: The side benefit of playing the game is that new players can help
plant low-allergenic trees. This reminds me of the FreeRice game – how
did this idea come about?

JL: The fact that planting low-allergenic trees may improve air quality
seemed like a perfect fit because studies suggest that global climate
change and increased CO2 levels may be resulting in longer, more
pollen-filled allergy seasons. We have also learned that tree planting
is one of the most effective means of drawing excess carbon dioxide,
the primary global-warming gas, from the atmosphere. We hope the tree
planting aspect of “Don’t Blow It” gives people another reason to play
and share the game with friends.

HG: From your experience working on this game, how do you feel gaming
technology will impact the health world and how we get educated on
matters like this?

JL: I’m not an expert in game technology, but I do see tremendous
possibilities for health games to engage and educate, and motivate
behavior change. From the start, it was important to us not to create
a simple “allergy attack” game where players mindlessly blasted
pollen. Instead, we created a concept where the game play reinforced a
viable health message – avoid triggers and seek care from a doctor and
Rx treatment, all year round.

HG: Do you see games focused around products such as Nasonex becoming
a trend in the healthy gaming world? Why or why not?

JL: I wouldn’t be surprised if you continue to see health games used as an
educational tool. For “Don’t Blow It,” we wanted to communicate
important brand messages while avoiding creating simply an advergame –
in that the product isn’t part of the game play. The brand presence is
included subtly through external links to more allergy information, a
$15 savings coupon and a credit line, all of which direct people to
the product website, but we purposely kept the messages, not the brand
name, in the forefront.

HG: Lastly, do you plan to continue spreading the word about this fun game?

JL: Yes, we are always looking for new and engaging ways to let people know about the game.

Well that does it for our interview on the ‘Don’t Blow It’ allergy game! Big thanks to everyone who made it possible.

Have any thoughts on how these types of games can be useful in other ways? Let us know in the comments below!