A key area in which scientists lack understanding is spatial navigation, one of the first cognitive abilities to be affected by dementia. The largest study conducted in this area comprised only 599 participants.

Armed with the insight that globally we spend over 3 billion hours gaming each week, the aim was to try to harness gameplay to collect data and advance this area of dementia research exponentially.

In the game, you play a sea explorer who has set out to sea to try and capture the memories of your father, which have been lost to dementia. Developed in partnership with Alzheimer’s Research and UCL, Sea Hero Quest collects anonymous spatial navigation data.

The game has now been played by 2.7 million people, creating the world’s largest crowd sourced data set of its kind and forming the largest dementia study in history, raising hopes of a breakthrough in diagnosing the disease.

14 participating markets with centrally managed UK/US and above country media engagement

April 2016

UK based pre launch preview event, attended by key media with interviews and presentations by expert spokespeople, showcasing prototypes of the game

3rd / 4th May 2016

- Simultaneous launch activity across multiple markets

- Strong central press kit including compelling static/moving assets, infographics, contextualised through 3rd party statistics and quotes to generate greater impact

- Local level media engagement, tailoring assets to ensure resonance with different audiences

- Market specific media access to key spokespeople, partners and influencers across the day, ranging from local dementia experts to Film Directors who could share their own personal experiences of the condition

20th May 2016

1 million downloads achieved

16th November 2016

Global Neuroscience Conference in San Diego showcasing results of 2.4 million players and revealing plans to take the game into a clinical setting

We generated near universal engagement with the subject matter (dementia) and our idea (the game) over a sustained period of time, delivering rolling news coverage on the day of launch, earned editorial across 2,700 titles worldwide and generating an equivalent media value of more than €30,000,000.

As a result, we were invited to speak at prestigious medical events such as the Global Neuroscience conference, Cannes Lions Health and the ‘Games for Change’ festival in New York.

We were able to deliver on our initial 6 month target of 100k downloads within 24 hours of the launch – all before a single €Euro was spent on paid amplification.

To date, Sea Hero Quest has been downloaded more than 2.7 million times, creating the largest crowd sourced data set of its kind and the biggest dementia study in human history.

Using traditional research methods, it would have taken the equivalent of over 11,000 years to generate a data set of this size.

The game is now being used in a clinical setting, paving the way for its use as a global diagnostic tool for dementia, one free from the constraints of language, literacy and culture.

In Germany alone, the campaign delivered an 18-point shift in brand approval, up from 49% to 67%.