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Step 2: Find Reference Games

What games are a good reference for the mental models we need to manage T1D?

Level Ex had a lot of experience using particle game mechanics (particle puzzles, etc.) for helping doctors understand complex biochemical systems – where particles might represent molecules or cells.

Particle puzzles are an incredibly popular genre – games like Feed Me Oil, Where’s My Water, and FROST are played by hundreds of millions of people across every demographic.

T1D management has other elements we need to consider. For example – with T1D, you have a range of different elements affecting the system at different speeds (digestion, insulin action, etc.). You aren’t trying to dose based on where the curve is now… you’re trying to dose for where the curve is going.

Missile Command is a good example of this, but many other physics games have similar goals. The goal is to hit a target, but both the target and the projectile you are firing move slowly. Therefore you must time your shot, as well as the characteristics of your projectile, well in advance of the collision – anticipating the movement of the target *and* the motion of the projectile. 

You aren’t shooting for where the target is, but rather – where it’s going to go.