Packy and Marlon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Packy & Marlon |
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Cover art
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| Developer(s) | WaveQuest |
| Publisher(s) | Raya Systems |
| Platform(s) | SNES |
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| Genre(s) | Educational, platformer |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Packy & Marlon is an exciting video game made for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It's an educational platformer developed by WaveQuest and published by Raya Systems. This game was specially created to help kids with Type 1 diabetes learn how to take care of themselves better. It was quite successful in helping young players understand their health. Packy & Marlon is part of a series of educational games from Raya, which also includes Captain Novolin, Rex Ronan: Experimental Surgeon, and Bronkie the Bronchiasaurus.
Game Story and How to Play
Imagine a fun place called Camp Wa-kee. But oh no! A sneaky gang of rats has invaded the camp. They've stolen all the food and important medical supplies, hiding them in different spots around the camp.
That's where Packy and Marlon come in! They are two brave elephants who also have diabetes. Your mission, as Packy or Marlon, is to get back all the stolen items and clear out those pesky rodents.
While you're playing, you also need to remember something very important for Packy and Marlon:
- They must take their insulin shots.
- They need to check their blood glucose (blood sugar) levels regularly.
At the end of the game, you'll face off against the evil bosses, Veets and Yebur. They are the leaders of the Lunch Room Crew, and you'll need to defeat them to save Camp Wa-kee!
Why This Game is Important
Packy & Marlon is a very special game because it helped start something called "therapeutic gaming." This means using video games to help people with their health. It began in the mid-1990s with games like this one and Bronkie the Bronchiasaurus, which focused on asthma.
Debra Lieberman, one of the designers of Packy & Marlon, explained why the game was made:
"Packy and Marlon was designed to help remove the stigma of being different so young people with diabetes who played the game with their friends, and saw that their friends did not consider diabetes to be a big issue, would be more willing to do important self-care throughout the day, even when their friends were around. And this is what actually happened".
—Debra Lieberman, Packy and Marlon designer, https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-223802544.html
This means the game helped kids with diabetes feel more comfortable about their condition.
Studies showed how helpful the game was:
- In 1997, researchers at Stanford University's Medical Center studied 59 children with diabetes, aged 8 to 16. They found that kids who played Packy & Marlon were four times less likely to need urgent doctor visits than kids who played other games.
- Another study, lasting three months, found that the game "decreased their diabetes-related emergency room and urgent care visits by 77 percent." This is a huge difference!
- The game was also tested in Kaiser hospitals. It was shown to give important health information to kids with diabetes. It also encouraged them to support each other, which is a great way to build a community.
