Game for good

London – Sea Hero Quest is a multiplatform game designed to further the understanding of early onset dementia.

• Deutsche Telekom estimates its 200m users spend 3bn hours playing online and mobile games weekly
• More than 47.5m people worldwide suffer from dementia, and the number is set to rise to 135m by 2050

A loss of spatial awareness is one of the earliest symptoms of dementia, so scientists are working to gain a better understanding of the ways in which the human brain functions during navigation in order to isolate the onset of dementia. To gain greater insight into spatial awareness, and ultimately dementia, Deutsche Telekom used its global reach to create a game that requires navigation skills.

Developed by Saatchi & Saatchi in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Research UK, University Colllege London and game developer Glitchers, the mobile app Sea Hero Quest maps out each player’s movement through the game and translates this into scientific data, demonstrating the cognitive processes behind orientation and spatial awareness. Deutsche Telekom believes this will generate a global benchmark for understanding navigation and will ultimately lead to the development of new diagnostic tests for the diseases that cause dementia.

Deutsche Telekom aims to inspire people to play games for good, setting them apart from competitors in the gaming world. ‘There is always a higher purpose,’ says Hans-Christian Schwingen, chief brand officer at Deutsche Telekom. ‘We consider ourselves a long-life partner in people’s lives based on the digital products and services we can provide.’