Becker developing video game to prevent addiction

Courtesy | Becker College A screenshot of "Journey to the Blackwood"

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By Zachary Comeau

With a $5,000, grant from the Worcester County District Attorney’s office, Worcester’s Becker College is developing a video game to help fight drug addiction.

The game, designed for third-and-fourth-graders, is being designed by professor Ilir Mborja and students from the college’s game design program. Assisting them are psychology professor Beth Greenberg and graduate students in the college’s mental health counseling program.

The game, called "Journey to the Blackwood," will be released by December.

"We’re excited to see this app the Becker College students are putting together,” said Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr., in a statement. “One of the most successful strategies is prevention. It is so important that we reach children early to prevent opioid addiction, and this app is a creative, new and innovative way to do that.”

In a statement, Dean of the School of Design and Technology Alan Ritacco said the game is not just about drugs.

“In the game, the choices you make impact your health and well-being,” Ritacco said. “Students can use this to understand the negative effect of making bad choices.”

The initial design of the game was developed by a group of students. That design was then taken into a Game Studios class last fall and spring, where students expanded on the work.

Once the game is ready to be introduced into the school system, the college will develop health-based curriculum to enhance the game’s messaging.