Save Manresa! (Aka having fun the public health way)

It has not been long since our last Public Health Fun post and it’s already time for another (small) update! I just came across another simulation “game” and I had to share it with you!

The simulation is called “Save Manresa“. Unlike other games, Manresa is not an imprisoned princess waiting to be rescued; Manresa is a fictional country that has just been hit by a major earthquake. Following this earthquake, a mysterious disease starts spreading, threatening public health. In this role-playing simulation, you are supposed to be a public health professional who tries to figure out what exactly this mysterious disease and to stop the outbreak. This game was developed by the University of Roehampton in London, as part of promoting their online MPH course.

I think this is a nice, short game. As it is directed to people who do not necessarily have public health knowledge, it does a good job in giving a very general idea of what a public health professional might be asked to do. It is simple and yet interactive enough to engage the users without tiring them. It is not going to teach you public health but you can send the link to the next person who asks you what exactly does a public health professional does.

Give it a go and let me know what you think! Do you think that such short simulations can benefit the field of public health? If you could make a similar simulation, what would you do?