While many of us play games just for fun, what if we could play them for a good cause? Sea Hero Quest is one such game that’s not only fun and immersive but also involves research on dementia.
Sea Hero is a game developed by a UK-based company, Glitchers, in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Research UK. The game focuses on spatial navigation capabilities through gameplay. This means the game tracks the user actions, and that data is then used for research.
With over 4 million players already, this game is helping scientists figure out ways to detect dementia in advance, which so far has been impossible.
Even though it’s research-centric, that doesn’t mean it’s not enjoyable. It’s essentially a mobile virtual reality (VR) game, which makes things even more interesting. Although it’s been around for years, now that metaverse is looking like the future of technology, Sea Hero Quest will likely become even more popular.
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So What is Sea Hero Quest Like Exactly?
The story of the game also revolves around dementia. The protagonist in the game is a son who takes on a quest to recover his father’s memories, who lost them due to the mental illness dementia.
As emotional as it sounds, it does pack in some fun elements as well. You’ll be chasing after creatures and shooting flares.
As you can guess by the name, it’s a nautical theme game. There are three main sections: taking pictures of surroundings, navigating a flare, and shooting a flare. However, there are different levels as well, so the game keeps you coming back for more.
Initially, it was just a mobile game, but later, around 2019, it was also made VR-ready. The arctic backdrop of the game makes it a lot more calmer, which is something perhaps necessary for the main purpose of the game.
Who Made Sea Hero Quest?
Well, the game was designed by the British studio Glitchers, but there are a lot of other parties involved. The idea was put forth by Deutsche Telekom as it wanted to do something for the field of dementia and Alzheimer’s research as part of their corporate social responsibility.
Glitchers presented the idea to them, and they were on board with it. Then came the research body on Alzheimer’s based in the UK, as well as universities including the University of East Anglia and University College London. So the game was designed with the help of researchers.
How Can You Play Sea Quest on PC?
Of course, it’s fun to play on mobile too, but if you want an even better experience, you can play it on PC, especially if you don’t have a VR headset to use with your phone.
The bigger screen of the PC can definitely make the experience better.
With the help of an Android emulator, you can play on Windows PC this game that has helped dementia research. Just install any of the free Android emulators on PC like Nox Player or MEmu Play.
Download the APK file of the game. Drag and drop it onto the emulator screen, and you’re ready to play.
Alternatively, you can download it directly from Google Play Store from within the emulator, but keep in mind that you’ll need a Google account for that.
Wrap Up
Sea Hero Quest is a great game because it has produced enough data to help dementia and Alzheimer’s researchers detect how one of the earliest signs of the illness manifests in humans. Those with dementia lose spatial navigation capabilities, which this game can help detect.
Through monitoring memory and navigation, the game can help learn if a person has a likeability of developing or already has dementia.