- Positive response to the initiative has been overwhelming
- Downloads of the game Sea Hero Quest since its global launch have reached about 1.6 million
- Game has been collectively played for over 30 years generating the equivalent of more than 4,500 years of similar lab based research
At this years’ Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity - the most prestigious event within the advertising industry - Deutsche Telekom and Saatchi & Saatchi celebrated winning nine awards – one gold, five silver and three bronze Lions – for "Sea Hero Quest". The mobile game has been created in partnership with the University College London, the University of East Anglia, the charity Alzheimer’s Research and game developers Glitchers.
"Sea Hero Quest", which has re-written the rules on collating data to help scientists in the fight against dementia, is the latest campaign from Deutsche Telekom and Saatchi & Saatchi. Downloads of the game since its global launch, just a few weeks ago, have reached about 1.6 million. The game has been collectively played for over 30 years generating the equivalent of more than 4,500 years of similar lab based research. Previous studies into human spatial navigation have comprised no more than 600 participants making this the largest data set of it’s kind.
Hans-Christian Schwingen, Chief Brand Officer at Deutsche Telekom, commented: "The positive response has been overwhelming. People around the world have been inspired to download Sea Hero Quest and game for good. The game has entered the top 20 in 40 markets on the App Store and Google Play and is even the number 1 game in many markets. That's already a spectacular success for research and science. We are not stopping there, just last week we released 2 new game worlds aimed at re-engaging players to keep sharing their time to help scientists fight dementia."
The concept of ‘Sea Hero Quest’ was motivated by the desire to empower people to game for good and was made a reality by partnering with world-renowned experts in their respective fields. With 3 billion hours spent playing online and mobile games weekly by the global population, the aim was to not only manifest that power but to go beyond to reach the widest audience possible and to recognize the part that mobile technology plays in everyday lives.
Over 47 million people worldwide currently live with dementia with this number estimated to increase to 135 million by 2050. For many people living with dementia, one of the first effects they experience is a loss of spatial awareness, as they lose the ability to navigate their way through even well-known places and environments. Creating a global benchmark with ‘Sea Hero Quest’ for how we navigate is widely acknowledged as one of the key steps towards developing new diagnostic tests for the diseases that cause dementia.
For more information, visit www.seaheroquest.com or #gameforgood
Awards given to Sea Hero Quest at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity:
- Gold Lion Promo & Activation: Use of Mobile
- Silver Lion Promo & Activation: Commercial Public Services
- Silver Lion Health: Education & Services
- Silver Lion Pharma: HCP Devices & Diagnostic
- Silver Lion Direct: Use of Data
- Silver Lion Cyber: Innovative Use of Social & Community
- Bronze Lion Mobile: App Games
- Bronze Lion Mobile: Social Gaming & Competition
- Bronze Lion Entertainment: Innovation in Branded Games
About Deutsche Telekom
Deutsche Telekom is one of the world’s leading integrated telecommunications companies with more than 156 million mobile customers, 29 million fixed-network lines and around 18 million broadband lines (as of December 31, 2015). The Group provides fixed-network/broadband, mobile communications, Internet and Internet-based TV products and services for consumers, and ICT solutions for businesses and corporate customers. Deutsche Telekom has a presence in more than 50 countries and employs about 225,200 people worldwide. The Group generated revenues of 69.2 billion euros in the 2015 financial year – roughly 64 percent of it outside Germany.