Stub It Out with free game for iPad

September 7, 2012

Stub It Out with free game for iPad

It’s not often that health researchers develop interactive games, but a University of Auckland team have released a free iPad game app for people who are trying to quit smoking, and are developing an iPhone version.

Stub It Out is a uniquely Kiwi game developed to help Kiwis distract themselves from tobacco cravings. The aim of the game is to stub out tobacco products as they appear. Players capture stop-smoking products as they move through the levels, and points are expressed in minutes of life regained.

“Stub It Out is one more tool for smokers trying to quit,” says Dr Marewa Glover, Director of the Centre for Tobacco Control Research. “The game play is simple, fun and engaging.”

“We are hoping smokers will use it as a stress release when they are stopping smoking, and that it helps them learn about different treatments that can help them quit”.

The free app is available from Apple’s App Store at http://bit.ly/QnTcna

The game was developed as part of the Whanau End smoking Regional whanau Ora challenge (WERO), a group stop-smoking competition (see www.wero.me) where teams of 10 smokers compete to have the most quitters and win a cash prize for a community group or charity of their choice.

WERO is part of the Tūranga: a broader programme of studies funded by the Ministry of Health and the Health Research Council partnership for Reducing Tobacco-related Harm.

The game has been developed by the Centre for Tobacco Control Research with co-researchers from the National Institute for Health Innovation at the University of Auckland.

www.turanga.org.nz
www.wero.me

ENDS

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