Examining how mobile gaming could improve sanitation practices

Ben Armstrong and Luis Arbulu of Hattery Labs, a collaborative design firm, write in this post in the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's "Impatient Optimists" blog about how they are beginning "to explore how games might improve sanitation practices." They say that "Javascript games built for Nokia S40 phones (among the most popular handsets in the developing world) provide an opportunity to send a compelling message on good behavior practices in sanitation and hygiene," outline several game ideas, and pose several questions regarding the current research, such as how to reach illiterate and female players and how to measure impact. Armstrong and Arbulu provide a link to a Hattery report that "explores the potential of using mobile games to engage citizens in addressing persistent community challenges" and invite readers to comment with their own ideas and thoughts (6/26).