Can Wendy Nevercoff save her friend Cindy from the evils of Joe Tobacco and Nicotinia before it’s too late?

By Lyn Mettler

Along the way, they learn about the health and social consequences of tobacco use and the truth about the myths associated with smoking.” Girls seem to be particularly sensitive to media messages about smoking and to peer influence,” said McDaniel, who addresses these issues in the game. “By overcoming challenges, it will boost their confidence in being able to resist smoking.” McDaniel tested the game on girls ages 8-14 at local Girls Inc., community centers and found that overall, their anti-smoking attitudes, beliefs and knowledge of the consequences of smoking were significantly stronger after playing. “They really enjoyed it,” said Michelle Anderson, vice president of program operations for Girls, Inc. “It’s an excellent way to teach them about smoking repercussions. It just reinforces good messages.” Escape from Nicotinia! was funded by a grant from the Indiana Commission for Women and the Indiana State Department of Health’s Office of Women’s Health. The programming, characters and graphic design were created by the Medical Education Resources Program through the IU School of Medicine. McDaniel is currently looking for funding to develop the game further before making it available for widespread use. She recently presented the results at the annual meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. McDaniel is a well-known expert in the use of technology in smoking cessation and prevention. She previously developed a computer program for low-income women to help them stop smoking and currently is testing the effect of computer reminders on doctors in providing smoking-cessation counseling to their patients.