WHAT IS UNLOCKING HEALTH?
Unlocking Health is a digital learning game that teaches the core concepts of results based financing (RBF) to professionals who are currently working in the field or who are studying to do so in the future.
The game will take players through the cycle of designing, implementing, monitoring, iterating, and evaluating an RBF program from start to finish. Through immersion in a narrative-driven and character-rich fictional environment (“Zariba”) that is anchored by the real world challenges, players take on the role of World Bank RBF consultants. As they design and implement a new RBF program proposal in a region, players will test their ability to strategize and adapt to a situation that is evolving over time as they attempt to meet health care service goals. The play experience is meant to be completed within about 45 minutes, though the game is designed to be re-playable, each new instance allowing players to experiment with new choices and cope with different events that unfold over time in the fictional world.
The game unfolds over two distinct phases of play. In phase 1, players are tasked with exploring the region, talking to NPCs, gathering information, and putting together an RBF program proposal with 6 prioritized tactics. Players are then scored on the results of a simulated pilot year and given the opportunity to implement their own program and monitor it over the course of an additional 3 years or to select another players' proposed program to implement. During phase 2 of the game, players monitor the RBF plan, tackling questions and problems that arise during the year, while adapting the program to the shifting context in real time. By the end of the third year, players are assessed based on their ability to meet their health service target goals. Unlocking Health was created in collaboration with the World Bank.
The game will take players through the cycle of designing, implementing, monitoring, iterating, and evaluating an RBF program from start to finish. Through immersion in a narrative-driven and character-rich fictional environment (“Zariba”) that is anchored by the real world challenges, players take on the role of World Bank RBF consultants. As they design and implement a new RBF program proposal in a region, players will test their ability to strategize and adapt to a situation that is evolving over time as they attempt to meet health care service goals. The play experience is meant to be completed within about 45 minutes, though the game is designed to be re-playable, each new instance allowing players to experiment with new choices and cope with different events that unfold over time in the fictional world.
The game unfolds over two distinct phases of play. In phase 1, players are tasked with exploring the region, talking to NPCs, gathering information, and putting together an RBF program proposal with 6 prioritized tactics. Players are then scored on the results of a simulated pilot year and given the opportunity to implement their own program and monitor it over the course of an additional 3 years or to select another players' proposed program to implement. During phase 2 of the game, players monitor the RBF plan, tackling questions and problems that arise during the year, while adapting the program to the shifting context in real time. By the end of the third year, players are assessed based on their ability to meet their health service target goals. Unlocking Health was created in collaboration with the World Bank.
WHAT I DID
As product designer I led the game design process and systems/ux flow from project inception through post-release. I worked alongside an amazing team of researchers, artists, engineers, and game designers, as well as a small team of content experts at the World Bank. This was the second client project with the World Bank after the successful Risk Horizon.
