Stroke is a major cause of death in Korea, and even when patients survive, severe sequelae such as hemiplegia and aphasia can persist for a long time, significantly impairing daily functioning and quality of life. In particular, for ischemic stroke, t...
Stroke is a major cause of death in Korea, and even when patients survive, severe sequelae such as hemiplegia and aphasia can persist for a long time, significantly impairing daily functioning and quality of life. In particular, for ischemic stroke, the marked therapeutic benefit of intravenous thrombolysis administered within 3–4.5 hours after symptom onset has been demonstrated; nevertheless, actual hospital arrival times have shown little improvement over many years. In this context, lack of public awareness of stroke has been pointed out as a key contributing factor, and the accessibility of education on emergency response remains low, indicating the need for educational methods that enable laypersons, rather than healthcare professionals, to learn how to respond appropriately.
Meanwhile, in the health and medical field, game-based learning (GBL) has attracted attention as an educational approach that enhances learners’ interest and engagement, and various serious game cases have demonstrated positive educational and training effects. However, a review of existing cases revealed that serious games designed to educate the general public on how to respond to stroke emergencies are scarce, and this gap motivated the selection of the present topic as the focus of this study. As a research method, this study planned and developed the game by incorporating design principles for medical education games proposed in previous studies, as well as principles of medical education for the general public. The main production tools used were Unreal Engine 5, Blender, and Adobe Illustrator. The core learning content of the developed game includes the FAST rule, major symptoms of stroke, the concept of the golden time in stroke, emergency response strategies, and key risk factors. These elements are embedded within the overall game flow in the form of multiple mini-games. The main game mechanism is a time penalty system, whereby incorrect choices add penalty time, allowing players to experience the pressure of the golden time. By implementing educational content on how to respond to stroke emergencies as a 3D interactive game for the general public, this study aims to present a case that can help fill the current gap in stroke emergency education for the general population.