Helping Kids Swallow Pills
Pediatric Oncology & Medication Adherence
The Challenge
For many children, swallowing pills is genuinely hard. For children with cancer, it's often unavoidable.
In pediatric oncology and other chronic conditions:
- Medications must be taken regularly and on time
- Missing doses can reduce effectiveness or compromise treatment
- Fear, anxiety, gag reflex, or past bad experiences can derail adherence
- Caregivers are under constant stress trying to ensure compliance
This is not a willpower problem. It's a fear, skill, confidence, and habit problem, repeated many times a day.
Clinicians and families need better tools to:
- Help kids learn how to swallow pills
- Reduce anxiety around the act
- Confirm that the medication was actually taken
- Reward success in a healthy, motivating way
The Big Idea
Games are exceptionally good at:
- Teaching physical skills gradually
- Reducing fear through repetition and control
- Turning stressful tasks into achievable challenges
- Reinforcing habits through reward and progress
- Making invisible success visible
This challenge asks: Can a thoughtfully designed game help children feel confident swallowing pills, and help caregivers trust that it happened?
Core Design Questions
Teams are encouraged to explore one or more of these questions:
1. Skill & Confidence Building
How might a game:
- Teach pill-swallowing as a learnable skill?
- Break the act into manageable steps?
- Help children practice calmly and safely?
- Replace fear with familiarity and control?
Examples might include:
- Gradual progression (small → medium → pill-like)
- Breathing, posture, timing mechanics
- Visual metaphors that normalize the process
- Practice modes separate from real medication
2. Motivation & Willingness
How can gameplay:
- Reduce resistance at pill time?
- Shift control from "being forced" to "choosing to engage"?
- Create anticipation instead of dread?
Examples:
- Unlocking game time or in-game items
- Progression systems tied to consistency
- Calm narratives that frame pill-taking as empowerment
- Personalization to a child's interests
3. Verification & Trust (Optional, Exploratory)
In some settings, it's important to know that the pill was actually taken.
Teams may explore conceptually (no clinical claims required):
- Computer vision confirmation
- Gesture-based or action-based verification
- Sensor or interaction metaphors
- Caregiver-assisted confirmation loops
Accuracy is less important than designing trust-aware workflows that respect privacy, dignity, and feasibility. Mocked or simulated approaches are completely acceptable.
Reward Systems
Instead of external treats or pressure, consider:
- Gameplay access
- Cosmetic rewards
- Collection or progression
- Narrative advancement
- Customization or creative expression
Rewards should:
- Be proportional
- Be predictable
- Avoid overstimulation
- Support long-term habit formation
Design Considerations for Pediatric Oncology
Important constraints:
- Children may be fatigued, anxious, or nauseous
- Experiences should be calm and respectful
- No shaming, punishment, or negative framing
- Clear structure and cause-and-effect
- Adjustable sensory intensity (sound, motion, color)
This is about support, not coercion.
Jam Scope & Expectations
- Simple concepts are encouraged
- Mock data and simulated verification are fine
- Focus on one age range or scenario
- Emphasize emotional experience over technical novelty
- Clinical insight > technical polish
What This Is Not
- Not a medical device
- Not replacing caregivers or clinicians
- Not enforcing compliance through pressure
- Not a surveillance system
The goal is to reduce friction, fear, and stress, for kids and families alike.
Extra Points For...
- Designs that reduce anxiety around pill-taking
- Thoughtful, child-respecting verification concepts
- Reward systems that promote consistency, not pressure
- Clear caregiver/clinician control and visibility
Why This Matters
For many families, pill time is one of the hardest moments of the day.
This challenge asks:
What if swallowing medicine felt achievable, even empowering, instead of frightening?
It's an opportunity to apply game design to a deeply human, high-stakes problem where small improvements can have outsized impact on outcomes, trust, and quality of life.