Goodville and WHO Collaborate to Develop New In-Game Character to Help Achieve and Maintain Physical and Emotional Well-Being

Gaming and Health Industries Join Forces in Next Step as an Entertainment Medium

Stork Limited, developers of the popular free-to-play Goodville farm game adventure app, today announces it has teamed with the World Health Organization (WHO) to create a new artificial intelligence in-game character and the WHO's first virtual health worker to help players achieve and maintain physical and emotional well-being and provide answers about COVID-19 vaccines.

Goodville, available for download at the App Store and Google Play, is a classic farm-simulation game blended with an "emotional well-being care app" where players can explore, renovate and customize their farms. It combines gaming industry expertise with a scientific approach to addressing mental health issues.

With more than one million downloads, Goodville is the first gaming app to help players maintain emotional well-being by communicating with in-game characters to fulfill exciting tasks.

In collaboration with WHO, Goodville features a new in-game character named Florence, along with exciting expeditions and in-game events to help players better understand themselves by providing advice for achieving and maintaining physical and emotional well-being.

"Games can impact people's lives, and maintaining emotional well-being is one of the most important aspects, especially now, when the pandemic, conflict, and overall uncertainty have become part of our reality. Goodville is a non-obtrusive way for players to achieve and normalize their emotional well-being with in-game mechanics and daily psychological tests," says Alexey Meleshkevich, co-founder of Stork Limited. 

Florence Improves Emotional Well-Being and Mental Health

Goodville's game content was developed by the company's science board of doctors and clinical psychologists. Working with WHO, Goodville programmed Florence with the latest information to provide tips and advice aligned with WHO's #HealthyAtHome education efforts. 

  • Mental Health: Improving an individual's mental health and helping others who may need some extra support and care.
  • Physical Activity: The importance of physical activity for improving bone and muscle strength, increasing balance, flexibility, and fitness.
  • Healthy Diet: Eating a healthy diet supports immune systems and reduces the likelihood of developing other health problems, including obesity, heart disease, diabetes, and some types of cancer.
  • Stopping Smoking: For adult players, Florence provides information about tobacco-cessation methods and tips to stop smoking to help people on their journey to lead a tobacco-free life.

"Public health events over the past couple of years have challenged our physical and mental health," said Andy Pattison, Team Lead, Digital Channels, WHO. "Now, it is more important than ever to prioritize lifestyle changes that promote health and well-being, such as physical activity and healthy diets. We work with the technology industry and gaming companies, such as Stork Limited, to bring credible health content to people in the palms of their hands so that they can make better health decisions for themselves and their loved ones."

Players answer a series of interactive questions, and then Florence tailors a response to address their needs. Then, with the player's input, Florence draws from the best available science to create a personal plan while offering players support and guidance throughout the process.

Additionally, Florence is knowledgeable about COVID-19 and provides answers to questions about COVID-19 vaccines.

Learn more about Goodville at https://www.goodville.me/

About Stork

The company was founded by Alexey Meleshkevich — the creative mind behind Farm Frenzy, Toy Defense, and My Cafe, and founder of Melesta Games (now Melsoft Games), which was successfully sold to Wargaming. 

About World Health Organization

The World Health Organization provides global leadership in public health within the United Nations system. Founded in 1948, WHO works with 194 Member States, across six regions and from more than 150 offices, to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable. Our goal for 2019-2023 is to ensure that a billion more people have universal health coverage, to protect a billion more people from health emergencies, and provide a further billion people with better health and wellbeing.

Contact: Renee Hewitt | Attika Intelligence | 917.965.8712 | renee@attikaintelligence.com

Source: Stork Limited

About Stork Limited

Stork Limited is a team of gaming industry professional founded by Alexey Meleshkevich, the creative mind behind Frenzy Farm, founder of Melesta Games (now Melsoft Games) which was successfully sold to Wargaming (2015) and then to Moon Active (2020).

Stork Limited

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