Mobile game developer Psyon Games is working with Takeda Pharmaceuticals to increase ADHD awareness and education through Full ADHD, a choice-based story that confronts you with the realities of being an adult with ADHD. After a successful soft launch in Finland in 2021, the two companies are bringing the game to Germany next.
Psyon specializes in healthcare-based educational mobile games, having previously developed Antidote and Antidote COVID-19 to boost vaccine awareness. Full ADHD combines the lived experience of adults with ADHD with expert medical knowledge and resources from the Finnish ADHD patient association to paint an accurate picture of neurodivergent life that’s entertaining as well as educational.
Full ADHD’s soft launch in Finland achieved over 40k downloads and also won Takeda and Psyon the ‘The Most Valuable Patient Education Award’ at Reuters Pharma Europe 2022. The companies have now translated the educational game into German to reach a larger audience across Europe and create empathy for Germany’s ADHD population, which could be as high as 5% of the country, according to de Zwaan et al.
As a person with ADHD, the idea of showing the people I love the struggles that I face daily through a free mobile game is extremely appealing, especially as resource management is an established videogame feature that maps neatly onto the challenge of balancing my focus, effort, memory, and emotions throughout the day. I’m not alone in this either – public ADHD advocate Ulla Bracellari wrote in her blog, “At times I laughed like crazy because the events of the game brought up so many relatable memories. Some of the experiences displayed are still a part of everyday life. In a way, the game was extremely therapeutic for me.”
If you’re intrigued by Full ADHD but don’t speak German or Finnish, fear not! According to Psyon’s website, the developer has entered into a five-year partnership with Takeda to bring the game to more of Europe. Niko Pyrhönen, Psyon’s executive producer, also replied to a Google review asking for an English translation, saying that the team is “working hard to make the game more accessible” by adding more language options.
Check Full ADHD out for yourself for free on Google Play or the App Store.
We can’t wait to give Full ADHD a try for ourselves. While you’re here, make sure you check out our Princess Peach: Showtime! preview and Splatoon 3 Side Order DLC preview to get the lowdown on the games coming to the Switch soon.