How can a game help you talk with your kids about fentanyl?

The PlaySmart video game is a great way for families to connect, have deeper conversations, and learn from an accurate source in a fun and engaging way. PlaySmart was designed for older adolescents (age 16-19), with the goal of teaching players critical skills and knowledge through an engaging, interactive video game targeting their perception of risk surrounding opioid misuse.

Video games have demonstrated significant engagement and impact with people of all ages, but particularly youth. 66% of Americans—more than 215 million people of all ages and backgrounds, play video games regularly.

The PlaySmart game was designed, developed, and evaluated with the input of hundreds of teens in collaboration with behavioral scientists with expertise in both substance misuse and mental health, content experts, and commercial and serious game developers. The game was recently added as an important resource around mental health by the Office of the US Surgeon General and was featured in an impactful article in the Washington Post as a tool to fight the opioid crisis.

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Request access to the PlaySmart game.

The development and evaluation of PlaySmart is part of a large national multi-site study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH)/National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) Helping to End Addiction Long-term (HEAL) Initiative.


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