Oklahoma based independent game design studio, Game Equals Life, officially announced their first project, The Magi and the Sleeping Star (MSS). MSS is a health education game that will aid in teaching adolescents and adults with type 1 diabetes how to better manage their condition through interactive gameplay and story-telling.MSS is a 3rd person action adventure game that sends players on a quest during which healthy blood sugar must be maintained in order to achieve success. In MSS the player is a Magi, a powerful young magical hero, who happens to have type 1 diabetes. At the start of the game the player’s family is kidnapped and he must go on a quest to save them while using his magical abilities to defeat robotic enemies along the way. The only catch is that the potency of the player’s magical power is a direct reflection of how well his blood sugar is managed.
When the player’s blood sugar is too high or low, his powers are reduced or even nullified. This makes it impossible for the player to achieve victory until his blood sugar returns to a healthy level. Players are even rewarded with increased power when blood sugar is kept at ideal levels. Players must test blood sugar, choose healthy food, count carbohydrates and deliver appropriate amounts of insulin. This teaches the players to take full responsibility for diabetes management and puts them in a position to deal with its real-time affects in exciting gameplay situations.
Using a classic adventure game structure, MSS will teach players about appropriate diabetes management and offer ongoing advice on how to best balance blood sugar throughout the game’s adventure. MSS aims to help people with diabetes understand the core principals of good diabetes management and consistently reinforce the implementation of these principals in their daily lives. Players will quickly come to understand the importance of carbohydrate counting, frequent blood testing, and responsible insulin delivery. However, the key differentiator between MSS and traditional health education games is its invocative fantasy world. With exciting boss battles, breathtaking magic spells and a compelling storyline, MSS offers an adventure experience that could stand alone from its health education benefits.
"The illness isn’t the focus in The Magi and The Sleeping Star. The game is about a hero who must battle armies of robots and giant monsters in order to save his world. But since this hero happens to have type 1 diabetes, players must learn to manage the disease in order to be successful,” said Adam Grantham, President of Game Equals Life and Creative Director of MSS. “With MSS we’re using the incredible teaching power of play to illustrate that life with type 1 diabetes doesn’t have to center around the disease and that good blood sugar management is the key to living a free and healthy life. As someone who’s lived with type 1 diabetes for over 15 years, I’m very excited to be working on such an innovative and positive new game.”
Story:
When a legendary ancient king returns to enslave the world, a young boy named Oz must awaken the hero within. Oz is a descendant of a powerful line of warrior-wizards known as The Magi and will have to master his powers in order to save the world. But this young hero faces another challenge, for he has been diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, and before he can master his magic he must first master his blood sugar. Equipped with the powerful arrow launching Witch-Cannon, an arsenal of magic spells and his trusty robotic assistant MOMO, Oz must venture into the enemy’s land and defeat the tyrant king.
Features:
* 3rd Person Adventure Gameplay: Charge into battle against hordes of mechanical soldiers and monstrous bosses as you fight your way through enemy territory! Use the mighty Witch-Cannon to launch a barrage of arrows at your enemies.
* Diabetes Management Education: Gain more power throughout your adventure as you improve your diabetes management by learning to balance your blood sugar and eat healthy food.
* Powerful Magic Spells: Master all the spells of The Magi as you progress through your adventure. When your blood sugar becomes more balanced, your spells’ powers increase!
* Epic Boss Battles: Face colossal Kings of Old World in fierce battle! Use your incredible power to bring down the towering giants!
* Massive Fantasy World: Explore a large diverse world with lush green fields, stone dry deserts, arctic wastelands and ashy mountains.