Canadian schools use online game for sex-ed

A new online game called Adventures in Sex City has been launched in Canada to provide sexual health education and help curb rising rates of sexually transmitted diseases among young people.

The Middlesex-London Health Unit in London, Ontario, has allowed youth to develop the game (www.getitonlondon.com) in which the Sex Squad, comprising cartoon superheroes with names like Captain Condom, Willy the Kid and Wonder Vag, battle the evil Sperminator, who’s bent on infecting city residents.

Participants have to correctly answer sexual health questions to conquer the Sperminator while receiving instructions from Myth Maniac, the squad’s mysterious ally about healthy sex.  

In six weeks, the site had received 275,186 visits from almost 180 countries, with after-game surveys revealing 76% of participants said they learned from playing and 81% saying they would recommend the game to others.   

Although the game has garnered primarily positive reviews, one 14-year-old student has slammed it in a letter to the London Free Press, branding it “disgusting” and saying it promoted sex before marriage. 

The Thames Valley District School Board has begun using the game in sexual health education. 

Unsurprisingly, however, the London District Catholic School Board opted not to implement the game into its curriculum.

CMAJ, online