A Tabletop Game Aimed at Reducing Tanning Bed Use and Raising Awareness of Skin Cancer Risks

Vanity is a tabletop game designed to educate adolescents and young adults on the risks associated with indoor tanning and to reduce their intent to use tanning beds. Funded by the Division of Dermatology at the Ottawa Hospital and the University of Ottawa, the game positions players as aspiring actors striving for fame, balancing attributes such as fitness, tan, and style. Drawing inspiration from pop culture influences like Jersey Shore, the game prompts players to navigate decisions that impact their health and career. Every time a player tans, they increase their risk of developing skin cancer, creating a tension between immediate gains and long-term consequences.

Project Significance

Skin cancer is a major public health issue, with over 3.5 million Americans diagnosed each year and a significant portion of cases linked to tanning bed use. Addressing the gap in youth awareness about these risks, Vanity was designed as an engaging tool to influence behavior and educate players about the dangers of indoor tanning. My role as co-designer involved collaborating closely with experts, including Dr. Nicholas Carcioppolo and Lien Tran, to create a game that combined health education with compelling gameplay. Preliminary results from a pilot study indicated that Vanity had a promising impact on reducing tanning intentions, suggesting that it could be an effective intervention tool.

However, challenges arose with participant recruitment for the multiplayer board game, affecting the ability to gather larger datasets for evaluation. These limitations underscored the need for scalable solutions, inspiring the transition to digital formats through the development of Dreamy, which adapted Vanity’s core ideas into a broader, more accessible platform.

Outcomes and Impact

Vanity has been presented at several academic conferences, such as Meaningful Play, and has influenced the development of digital adaptations for greater reach. The game served as a precursor to larger-scale projects, such as Dreamy, which allowed for continued exploration of behavioral change through interactive design. While recruitment challenges limited immediate data collection, the initial study suggested that Vanity could be a valuable tool for public health intervention, cementing its place as a foundational project in my portfolio of educational games.

Thematic Connections

Dreamy

Building on the foundation established by Vanity, I co-designed Dreamy as a digital game to continue promoting skin cancer prevention. While Vanity faced challenges in participant recruitment and scalability, Dreamy aimed to overcome these obstacles by leveraging digital distribution to reach a wider audience. My experience with Vanity informed the design and evaluation strategies used in Dreamy, reinforcing my commitment to public health education through interactive media.

Humans vs. Mosquitoes

Vanity shares thematic similarities with Humans vs. Mosquitoes, as both projects use gameplay to educate players on health-related topics. My co-design role in these projects involved translating complex health information into engaging, interactive experiences, highlighting my focus on designing educational tools that resonate with diverse audiences.