The developers of Finnish ADHD awareness game, “Full ADHD” today announced it had received its fourth official accolade. This time from the Reuters Pharma Awards 2022 for “Most Valuable Patient Education work.” Since its release the game has garnered praise for utilising the mobile format to bring awareness to how people with ADHD function during their daily life.

Developed by Psyon games, Full ADHD depicts the daily life of Eetu Vaarakallio and requires players to manage various resources to ensure his story progresses positively. These include the ‘executive function’ resource, named for an aspect of the condition which affects decision making and prioritisation. It's one of many games coming out of the Nordic region, and represents a relatively new genre of gaming focused on health and wellbeing.

Working with ADHD

ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, is a neurological condition that can affect a person’s decision-making and function skills. A low attention span, or hyperactivity, is a common trait exhibited by people with ADHD. As a condition, management is key, but itis one of many neurodivergent conditions that are poorly understood by the public.

The game’s format is likely to be a major part of the reason it succeeded in its mission and received the praise it has. The mobile format has often been used for health-related apps, such as those that track diet or exercise. Games themselves have been cited for their health benefits, with the NHS even prescribing the playing of some titles to help combat anxiety in young people.

The use of the mobile platform to make unique games like this, with an informative angle, mirrors the way that games were seen to have potential health benefits in the past - from their use in therapy to the infamous sedative attachment for the Game Boy. The recognition of how a mobile game can help improve awareness of health also points to a potentially underdeveloped avenue of game development into the world of wellbeing apps.