EndeavorRX

Submission 3,470

About

EndeavorRX is a racing video game that was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the first game-based treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The video game, which requires a prescription, is for children age eight to 12 with ADHD and was developed over nearly a decade by Akili Interactive.^[4] The response to its approval in June 2020 was mostly positive but some criticized its studies' validity and its possible lack of uniqueness to other video games that do not need a prescription.

History

On April 1st, 2020, The scientists as Akili Interactive published the article "A novel digital intervention for actively reducing severity of paediatric ADHD (STARS-ADHD): a randomised controlled trial" in The Lancet^[1] journal. The study was a breakthrough for the company's product and led to the FDA^[2] Marketing clearance in June 2020. On June 15th, the Twitter account @AkiliLabs^[3] announces "#BreakingNews: EndeavorRx for children with #ADHD is officially the first FDA-cleared treatment delivered through a video game" (shown below, left). The tweet gained over 340 likes and 230 retweets in two days. According to PC Gamer,^[7] in the hoverboard racing game "You speed down corridors, avoid obstacles, collect critters and pick your look from a rotating list of skins." Following the release of the announcement, Twitter user @PlatinumParagon^[9] provided a thread explaining the research behind the game (shown below, right). The thread was then reposted to r/KotakuInAction.^[8]

On June 16th, YouTuber DT Gaming uploaded a sneak preview of the game in the video "FIRST GAME EVER Approved As MEDICINE Against ADHD" (shown below). The video accumulated over 4,800 views in a day.

Reception

On June 16th, 2020, Media outlets such as Slate,^[6] PC Gamer^[7] and The Verge^[5] covered the FDA clearance of EndeavorRX. The Verge mentioned in the article that, "we are talking about a study by doctors who work for the game’s developer, according to disclosures at the bottom of the study, and even their conclusion is that the results 'are not sufficient to suggest that AKL-T01 should be used as an alternative to established and recommended treatments for ADHD."" That day, Twitter users discussed the game. Twitter user @MolotovCupcake^[10] tweeted, "So the video game cleared by the FDA, EndeavorRx, does not have a demo available, presumably does cost money, and requires a prescription. I inquired about testing it and PR indicated that it was "challenging" to allow access because 'it is in fact medicine.'" Twitter user @BananamanB^[11] criticized the game saying, "So someone's thrown together an endless runner with N64-era graphics and found a way to make a fortune off it, rather than just dumping it on the apple store like everyone else does" (shown below, right).