A Web app that educates young people about the dangers of tobacco use in a fun way

The initial situation: The "ohnekippe" project

ohnekippe is specially designed for children and teenagers aged 12-14 (grades 6-8). Since its launch in 2000, more than 15,000 pupils from all over Germany have taken part in this school-based prevention programme, making “ohnekippe” an integral part of school life today. The aim of “ohnekippe” is to reach those students who have not yet started smoking, i.e. those who are not yet addicted to nicotine.

The challenge: Greater digital reach for addiction prevention

The “ohnekippe” project began as a face-to-face event at the Thoraxklinik. But the coronavirus epidemic and the current leisure habits of children and teenagers, who spend a lot of time on the internet, required digital information.

Children and young people have always been a demanding target group, especially when it comes to knowledge transfer and education. To reach and work with young people, a playful and open approach (“gamification“) is ideal. In this way, important information can be conveyed and internalised.

SPRYLAB and the project manager of “ohnekippe”, Dr Claudia Bauer-Kemeny, therefore felt it was important to develop an information service that can be integrated into the everyday lives of children and young people at a low threshold, can be used at any time – without unnecessary downloads – and at the same time brings action and fun.

The solution: targeting young people with a web application

It should be a digital game. They’re cool, and they’re what kids want. Digital games are cool and are in tune with the interests of children and teenagers. They can be used anywhere and at any time for education. Moreover, important information is absorbed unconsciously and playfully.

At the initiative of Dr Claudia Bauer-Kemeny, the idea of a computer game was born at the Thorax Clinic in Heidelberg: AGENTS of A.T.E.M. Although SPRYLAB, which specialises in developing platforms and applications, does not actually develop games, the company was a perfect fit.

Realisation of Agents of A.T.E.M.

The game is designed for excitement, fun and knowledge transfer, the usage data of which is collected in compliance with the GDPR. The collection and analysis of this data is necessary and important in order to develop further tools and campaigns for the future.

AGENTS of A.T.E.M. is based on a powerful animation tool and the backend also offers the possibility to create different user groups. In close collaboration with Dr Claudia Bauer-Kemeny and her team, the dramaturgy and technical details were optimised to make the game attractive to children and young people.

The game will be launched on World No Tobacco Day on 31 May 2022.

The result: distribution, user feedback and outlook

The response from the users, the young players, has been very positive so far. So positive, in fact, that AGENTS on A.T.E.M. is being promoted beyond the Thoraxklinik network, including through the AOK health insurance company, in order to reach even more players.

There are also plans to offer AGENTS on A.T.E.M. in different languages, as the young users are a multiracial group.

“My initial ideas and wishes have all been taken into account and a great product has been developed,” says Ms Bauer-Kemeny, who is very pleased with the result.

About the Thorax Clinic Heidelberg

The Thoraxklinik Heidelberg is one of the oldest and largest specialist lung clinics in Europe. It was founded over 100 years ago and is part of the University Hospital of Heidelberg. Every year, around 2,300 surgical procedures are performed on the chest (thorax) at the Thoraxklinik Heidelberg. This means that the Thoraxklinik Heidelberg plays an important role both nationally and internationally in the treatment of diseases of the thoracic organs.