With doctors and nurses severely impacted by the fallout of COVID, a free new word game from the University of South Australia (UniSA), Meddle, is challenging health professionals during their breaks in a bid to boost their mental wellbeing.
UniSA’s Associate Professor Chris Alderman, who designed the game with his son, Jonathon Alderman, said he hopes that Meddle will provide some light-heartedness for the medical profession amid the ongoing pandemic.
“No matter where you work in the health sector, every health professional is somehow connected to COVID – amid a pandemic, everyone is struggling,” Professor Alderman said.
“Yet, when you’re exposed to ongoing risks, your mental health can suffer, which is why it’s so important to have some regular downtime.
“We created Meddle as a specialised medical word game for people working within the health sector, to help add a bit of fun to their day and perhaps boost their mental wellbeing: it’s an entertaining distraction for those in the health and medical industry.”
The six-letter, seven-shot word game works much like its counterpart, Wordle (by the New York Times), a daily word game where players have six attempts to guess a five-letter word.
Feedback for each guess is given in the form of coloured tiles to indicate if letters match the correct position.
Meddle only uses medical words, with no abbreviations and no brand names, though players can also input non-medical words to help solve the puzzle.
As the newest edition of the Merriam-Webster medical dictionary features 1,000 new words and 39,000 total entries, Meddle is sure to keep doctors occupied as they test their knowledge of the latest medical terms.
With some 1000 users across ten countries, Meddle is just in it’s infancy, yet Professor Alderman hopes it’s user base will grow as people learn about and engage with the new game.
In conjunction with the new Meddle word game, the pair has also established a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for COVID-19 vaccinations in developing countries.
“Infections are surging in vulnerable communities and as we enter the third year of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people are yet to gain access to a single dose of a vaccine,” Jonathon Alderman said.
“We’ve chosen to support Unicef to get vaccinations to communities in need. So, people who enjoy playing Meddle may also choose to donate to this important cause.”
To play Meddle, visit: https://meddle-game.com/