Scottish studio GLITCHERS has seen its groundbreaking dementia research game, Sea Hero Quest, go viral in South Korea after a social media post mistakenly claimed the game could help diagnose the condition. While the studio has clarified this is not the case, the incredible surge in interest is a powerful testament to the game’s global appeal and a perfect illustration of the More Than Games mindset in action.
The story, as detailed in a recent blog post by the studio, highlights the unexpected ways in which games designed for social good can capture the public imagination.
A Game to Fight Dementia
Originally launched as a ‘Game for Good’ initiative, Sea Hero Quest is a landmark collaboration between Glitchers, Deutsche Telekom, Alzheimer’s Research UK, University College London, and the University of East Anglia. The project leveraged Deutsche Telekom’s international reach to put a powerful scientific tool into the hands of millions.
The mobile game was designed to aid dementia research. Players navigate a small boat through various mazes and waterways, and their anonymous gameplay data provides scientists with invaluable information on human spatial navigation.
According to Alzheimer’s Research UK, the data gathered from the game is unprecedented. With over four million players globally, the project has generated a dataset that would have taken over 17,000 years to collect using traditional lab-based methods. The charity states that just two minutes spent playing the game generates the same amount of data as five hours of conventional research.
This data helps create a global benchmark, allowing researchers to better understand the subtle disorientation that is one of the earliest symptoms of dementia. The project has been a monumental success, already leading to new insights into the differences in spatial navigation abilities across different ages, genders, and countries.
GLITCHERS recently announced that they were making the game available to researchers and organisations around the world, who wish to use the game (and its incredible data set) to further their work into dementia.
A Perfect More Than Games Case Study
The viral moment in South Korea is a powerful example of the core principles behind the ‘More Than Games’ mindset (a key pillar of the Scottish Games Action Plan). It showcases a studio using its world-class game design skills to tackle a major global health challenge, creating a product that has a profound real-world impact far beyond entertainment.
Glitchers’ own vision is to create “games for good” and to “leave the world a little bit better than we found it.” The studio, originally founded in England, relocated to Edinburgh during lockdown, a move which further strengthens Scotland’s position as a hub for innovative and socially conscious game development. Sea Hero Quest is the embodiment of that mission. It proves that the skills honed in our games industry are a powerful asset that can be applied to science, healthcare, and beyond.
Congratulations to the team at Glitchers on this latest chapter in their incredible journey. They are an amazing example of the innovation and positive global impact that our industry can achieve.