Marketforce GameLab launches with life-saving allergy game for National Allergy Council

Perth agency Marketforce has launched Marketforce GameLab, a new offering creating bespoke games for brands, marking the launch with The Mystery of School Island – a point-and-click adventure game developed for the National Allergy Council that could help save young lives.

There are 250,000+ young Australians living with severe allergies, and around 20 Australians lose their lives every year to anaphylaxis.

For young people with severe food allergy, the move from primary to secondary school can be high-risk. Food choices, social situations and personal safety become more independent, while students are increasingly expected to advocate for themselves. The Mystery of School Island was created for the Allergy 250K program, to help young people navigate that transition, building awareness, understanding and empathy in Australian classrooms.

National Allergy Council CEO Sandra Vale said the project responds directly to feedback from young people living with severe allergies. “The most important finding from our engagement with young people was that they wanted their friends to understand allergies, but they didn’t want to be the ones constantly educating them,” Dr Vale said. “This gamified learning experience helps students better understand allergies while making allergy awareness a shared responsibility.”

Working closely with teachers, students, a curriculum specialist, and allergy researchers; the National Allergy Council and Marketforce GameLab developed The Mystery of School Island, a point and click adventure that puts players in the role of Kid Detective as they investigate a mysterious food allergy incident. Through conversations, clue gathering, and mini-games, students learn how to recognise reactions, how to respond appropriately, how to avoid risky behaviours like sharing food, how to understand food labels and common food allergens, and the role everyone can play in creating safer school communities.

Built as a free browser-based experience for use in classrooms, the game combines free-roaming exploration, branching dialogue, progression systems, dynamic hinting, achievements, and character customisation. To support the game, the team also developed a dedicated microsite, a teacher’s guide, classroom activities and supporting materials aligned with Australian, Victorian and NSW curriculum requirements.

“It was a pleasure to work with the Marketforce team who were able to translate our consultation findings into a reality. Dr Sandra Vale from National Allergy Council said. “The game is fun and engaging whilst still educating about food allergies in an educational and respectful way.”

As anyone who has seen her recently will know, Digital Creative Director Rikki Burns will not shut up about the experience. “This project was an exciting creative and technical undertaking for the team. Being able to come to work every day to build a game that helps kids, teachers and families has been an absolute dream.”

This game-based learning EdTech project marks the launch of Marketforce GameLab, a new offering creating bespoke games that help brands earn attention, drive audience interaction, educate and support behaviour change. It showcases the team’s capabilities across game design, creative storytelling, strategy, and technical development, turning complex messages into interactive experiences people want to engage with.

“Play is more than entertainment. It’s a powerful way to communicate, educate and create behaviour change. Marketforce GameLab brings together a unique mix of deep industry knowledge and experience in game development, strategy, storytelling and creative thinking, to make interactive experiences that audiences want to spend time with, and remember afterwards,” said Jon Clarke, Marketforce’s Head of Digital.

The Mystery of School Island, an initiative of the National Allergy Council, is now available for free across Australia. To play, visit game.allergy250kteens.org.au

Credits:
National Allergy Council and Expert Contributors:
Dr Sandra Vale, Heather Roberts, Jill Kehoe, Erin Gilmore & Ange Linhart – National Allergy Council
Dr Melanie Wong – Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy
Maria Said AM – Allergy & Anaphylaxis Australia
Kara Gifford – Teacher and Allergy 250K Peer Mentor
Nicholas Rose – Curriculum Makers
Briony Tyquin – NSW Anaphylaxis Education Program

Marketforce GameLab:
Project Manager: Megan Phelan
Digital Creative Director, Writer & Designer: Rikki Burns
Head of Tech & Developer: Milo Radunski
Website Developer: Lucas Vieira
Client Partnerships: Jon Clarke & Krista Song

Production Partners:
Illustrator: Josh Wright
Animator: Harper Fox
Animator: Taeyn Nossiter, Sandbox Productions
Music Composer: Robert Woods, Soundbyte Studios