The public health unit in London, Ont. has assigned a team of superheroes and a villain named the evil “Sperminator” the intrepid task of teaching teenagers about safe sex.
The unit has launched a comic-book inspired interactive game on its website called “Adventures in Sex City,” where teens can test their knowledge of sexual health.
To play, they choose one of the characters: Wonder Vag, Willy the Kid, Power Pap or Captain Condom, then must correctly answer 25 questions about sex to defeat the evil Sperminator, a character with penises for arms.
Shaya Dhinsa, manager of sexual health at the Middlesex-London Health Unit, says staff worked directly with 16 London, Ont., teens aged 16 and 20 to develop a resource that would catch their attention.
“[Teens are] a challenging group to reach in the fact that they’re being told what to do – where to go, how to do it, do it, don’t do it,” she says, adding that the members of the group were eager to learn about sex in a more fun and interactive way.
If players get a question wrong, the Sperminator shoots their character with sperm, but if the question is answered correctly, their character uses a “condom shield” to shoot the sperm back at the Sperminator. A “Myths Maniac” also addresses and dispels faulty sexual information teens often hear at school or from friends.
A two-player version of the game is also available, a function that will allow parents to play with their teen.
“It’s a launching pad for the discussion,” Ms. Dhinsa says, adding that simply directing teens to the game is a perfect way for squeamish parents to broach the subject.
The game can be viewed at: healthunit.com/sectionList.aspx?sectionID=378.
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