Alprolix Infusion Squad
A game made for Roblox to help kids with hemophilia B.
Hemophilia B, also called factor IX (FIX) deficiency or Christmas disease, is a genetic disorder caused by missing or defective factor IX, a clotting protein. Although it is passed down from parents to children, about 1/3 of cases are caused by a spontaneous mutation, a change in a gene.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hemophilia occurs in approximately 1 in 5,000 live births. There are between 30,000 – 33,000 people with hemophilia in the US. All races and ethnic groups are affected. Hemophilia B is four times less common than hemophilia A
Hemophilia is a medical condition in which the ability of the blood to clot is severely reduced, causing the sufferer to bleed severely from even a slight injury. The condition is typically caused by a hereditary lack of a coagulation factor, most often factor VIII.
Children with Hemophilia B or Hem B have an even more rare type of hemophilia and are missing the clotting factor IX. As a result they have to learn how to self administer treatments at a young age, usually through a port. Alprolix wanted to create an unbranded, safe and interactive experience where children with hem B could interact with each other and undertake adventurous behaviors in a safe way. The desire was to help build a fun community where children with Hem B could learn about their condition and play and interact with others who may or may not have the disease.
Since many of these children cannot engage in play safely, a digital solution on the popular gaming platform Roblox was the perfect fit.
Experience In Game Design
While not a true UX ask this project was the perfect intersection of my hobbies and my career. As a long time Dungeons and Dragons dungeon master and content creator for table top RPGs, my experience understand game design and story design was leveraged to consult on game design and experience.
FCB partnered with game studio Dubit to develop the Infusion Squad Roblox game.
'Team up aboard a high-tech ship deep inside the human body, and take part in a selection of fast and frenetic mini games to learn about the Hemophilia Infusion process'
Players board a spaceship style craft, taking on the role of a small team or crew. This Infusionaut ship is on a mission deep into the human body, and you and your team will come across all sorts of dangers, distractions and activities.
Players will need to keep everything running smoothly while they’re aboard the ship. They’ll do this by playing a variety of fun, Among Us style mini games, each featuring a link to the real life process of infusion. Players will be able to learn more about the process, while at the same time competing with and against friends to become the best crew mate.
Players can also leave the ship in their own personal, fully customizable craft. While outside the ship, there will also be tasks to complete, such as collecting certain items, flying through obstacle courses or fighting infections with a laser cannon. Players can return to the Infusionaut Ship at any time. Players will collect currency both inside and outside the ship, and be able to upgrade their own personal miniature ship, as well as personalize their own appearance and abilities.There will also be an area specifically designed for players to relax and socialize, allowing them to freely chat about the game, or about their own lives without time limits or other pressures from the game.
A typical game loop of Infusion Squad will seem very familiar to players of Roblox games, but also intuitive enough to follow to first-timers.
Upon launching the game, players find themselves in a small lobby area, themed around a refueling zone for the Infusionaut Ships. Here, they can join a crew with their friends by walking into a specific area. Once a timer has run down, the players in that area become a crew, and the main game starts.
Players then are given their own Infusionaut Ship to explore. Once aboard, players will be able to take part in the various mini games found all around the ship. These will activate randomly, and players will have to head to that area to start them. Once they have completed one, after a short time another will pop up. There will always be a choice of games to take part in, so a player will never be forced to play a game they don’t like, or be stood around with nothing to do.
Once a certain number of tasks have been completed, all players are rewarded with an amount of currency based on how quickly and how well they performed the tasks. They will then have a short amount of time to relax and explore the ship, before the whole cycle starts again.
The ship itself will also feature lots of areas to explore, with plenty of hidden nooks and crannies, vents to climb through and pipes to balance across. Tasks to be completed can be found all around the ship, in the engine room, storage areas, airlocks and more.
Each task takes the form of an infusion themed mini game, and each task completed helps fill up the crew’s task completion bar. Around the ship, players will be able to also interact with members of the infusion squad like Science Guy and the Rookie. These characters could give hints on how to improve at certain mini games, as well as give more educational information surrounding Hemophilia (if required).
The design would include a ‘chill out’ zone as well, where the players can come together and freely chat, whether about their own lives or the game itself. Depending on the targeted age, we could look at using Roblox’s new Spatial Voice tech, allowing players in this room to actually talk out loud with each other.
In The Hangar, players can customize their very own one-man infusion aircraft! This is where the majority of a player’s currency (found around the ship, and given once a group of tasks are completed) will be spent. This smaller ship will be used by the player to perform tasks outside of the ship, and can be customized in a variety of ways, both cosmetically and functionally.
