Vermont Department of Health Launches Stop-Smoking Online Game

The Vermont Department of Health and serious games developer Hoozinga Game Media have partnered to create an online game to help players quit smoking. Available as part of the "My Quit Kit" anti-smoking package provided by the Vermont Quit Network, Khemia is a reflex-driven shooting game that discourages tobacco habits and keeps players motivated while attempting to stop smoking. "We're constantly seeking new ways to provide effective tools that support Vermonters who are trying to quit smoking, especially those trying to quit on their own," said Health Commissioner Wendy Davis, MD. "Research tells us that the majority of the population is online, and most game users today are adults -- that's why we are trying this newest tool to help adult smokers quit." A report at The Burlington Free Press notes that Vermont's local government aims to reduce the state's adult smoker population from 17 percent to 11 percent by 2010. Smokers comprised 22 percent of the Vermont population in 2000.