DISCLAIMER: This campaign is a student project created for educational purpose at USC Annenberg. It is not affiliated or endorsed by any organization or brand referenced.

Medicine Can Be As Impactful As The Games We Play

Growing up, some of our heroes were digital characters we’d go on quests with.

The missions were simple, stop the bad guys and save the day.

Here at 21Grams we held on to that mission and recruited a character who equally believes in our mission, Dr. Mario.

History and Viruses

Since 1990, Dr. Mario has protected The Mushroom Kingdom and brought awareness to the dangers of viruses. 36 years later, his fight against virus not only effect the 16-bit world, but our world too.

Where viruses such as the human papillomavirus (HPV) as explained by Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, “In 2022, nearly 350,000 women worldwide died of cervical cancer: that’s a life lost every other minute. The overwhelming majority of those women could have been not only saved, but spared from illness, by a single dose of vaccine earlier in their lives.”

We have the power to prevent harm and loss. While Dr. Mario attacks viruses with pills, we can combat virus with preventative measures. Parents taking their teens to receive their HPV vaccines can save lives.

Fighting Digital Misinformation

Viruses aren’t the only enemy, misinformation exists, and it exists in Dr. Mario’s digital world. Jim Reed, a journalist with the BBC shares, “Research from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) found 20% of parents surveyed in 2023 said they had come across information online that made them worried about vaccines, a sharp jump from just 6% the year before.”

Parent’s hearts are in the fight to protect their children, but instead of relying on what the internet thinks. Relying on years of medicinal expertise has not led us astray.

Playing Dr. Mario is fun, but the dangers of viruses and the lives of your family are not a game.

Work Cited

Reed, J. (2025, January 16). Rise of vaccine distrust – why more of us are questioning jabs. BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c1jgrlxx37do

“The HPV Vaccine: A VaccinesWork Guide.” Gavi.org, 2019, www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/hpv-vaccine-guide.