A game for marketing NetSafe which is a business continuity software package for hospitals from Interbit Data. When a hospital network goes down either for IT issues, a planned or unplanned downtime, cyberattack or any other reason, NetSafe can keep the hospital staff running for a time using their PCs, tablets, etc. like they normally would. I created a game to show how chaotic it can be without a product like NetSafe. I wanted it to be…
Fun
Simple to learn
Playable for non-gamers
Include hospital lingo that would make nurses laugh
Competitive
Make the point about NetSafe
We tested the game at a large trade show with roughly 25% of the attendees playing. NetSafe Challenge was a big success and it was great to hear nurses and hospital staff laugh at some of the lines we added to the game.
It was difficult to come up with a game that was easy to learn but included a lot to do at a fast pace. After several misses I ended up basing the game on the popular hit, Diner Dash. Patients enter a hospital and the player must get them checked in stat! After going to the Admin desk, they go to a bed and as diagnosis icons pop up the player must quickly address the patient’s issues. As the game evolves more medical issues are introduced and more patients arrive at a faster pace.My initial rendering of how the game should look and how it worked. The graphics designer and programmer used this as a visual guide. My workflow provided what should and would happen during gameplay. The level guide provided scenarios for each segment, I worked out further details as we went through the development process. Working with our marketing director at Interbit Data I asked him to take the rough script I had and flesh it out detailing each level. And mostly coming up with the beginning and ending splash screen copy for each level. Entering the door at the back of screen provide options for the lab, pharmacy etc. As we added more doors, we considered a 3D hallway look but before we even added it, we determined it would get in the way of the rapid gameplay. …so, we stuck with the original plan where players could easily select a door. The level intro splash screens told players what to expect!The level exit splash screens pushed the NetSafe product and functionality.Some of the graphic elements – I wanted the game to have a cartoonish look, colorful and not too realistic. Some of these went through a few changes so they were easier to see and understand.We included various races, male and female. The player could also choose their own character with similar options. The beds and bodies mostly stayed the same, just the head and hands changed.Debut at MUSE Inspire 2018 in Orlando, FL (Meditech User Software Exchange)
