Singapore – The National University Cancer Institute of Singapore (NCIS) has announced the launch of NCIS Fights Cancer, a web-based mobile game developed by home-grown gamification marketing company Sqkii for cancer education and prevention.
This initiative coincides with the institute’s 15th anniversary as a national centre for cancer as well as the inauguration of “NCIS Celebrates Life,” a weekend family carnival honouring their journey in cancer care and cutting-edge translational research.
In this free web-based game, the main rule centres around avoiding obstacles and collecting objects to obtain high scores. One of its notable features lets players gain more attempts by taking actions like donating to the NCIS Cancer Fund or sharing a cancer-related health tip.
As such, a player could use in-game objects with related facts like “Limit your alcohol intake to no more than two standard drinks a day – approximately two cans of beer, two glasses of wine or two measures of spirits” or “Be active and exercise for at least 30 minutes, five times a week, to maintain a healthy weight and reduce your risk of cancer.”
Seo Si Yun, operations lead at Sqkii, took pride in this remarkable breakthrough and said, “The game is designed to help Singaporeans easily pick up and share cancer-related facts—developed together with medical professionals from NCIS—while enjoying the process itself. This collaboration marks a milestone for Sqkii in that our games can now not only entertain and drive commercial objectives; they can also drive positive and impactful societal change.”
The particular mobile game feature stems from the institute’s mission to make cancer care more accessible to those in need by raising funds for them.
Meanwhile, Chee Cheng Ean, adjunct associate professor and executive director at NCIS expressed their steadfast commitment to the cause, stating, “At NCIS, we are committed to delivering incredible treatment and the compassionate care every individual affected by cancer deserves. We want to empower our patients and the community to take charge of their health and we do this through robust education campaigns. Fighting cancer is a long journey, and it requires a collective effort from the community and broader society.”
Throughout the years, the NCIS Cancer Fund already helped 440 patients with close to $1.8 million since it was set up in 2016. Such initiative has long been reducing the barriers that patients face when dealing with cancer in Singapore.