Video games are a great way to improve hand and eye coordination skills and have fun. They can also be a great source of educational information. Contrary to popular belief (especially from some parents who may believe that playing video games is a waste of time). There were and currently are some games that exist which were designed to help people become aware of certain issues. Plaque Attack was one of those games.
“Gaming technology is hot in the health world these days, as entrepreneurs explore ways to use video games to improve our physical and mental well-being — and our oral hygiene. The National Institutes of Health recently awarded millions to a Seattle company and researchers at the University of Washington to develop and study a suite of dental health games, including “Attack of the S. Mutans!” and “Keep Your Teeth.” And a British group at the King’s College London Dental Institute is testing a game called “Barney’s Healthy Foods” in a randomized clinical trial to see if children who play it adopt better dental hygiene and get fewer cavities. Plaque Attack, for example, was released back in 1983 for the Atari 2600. Players controlled a tube of toothpaste which flew around an open mouth, spurting red paste to protect the teeth from incoming junk food. Hit 35,000 points and Activision would mail you a congratulatory letter praising your“superior tubesmanship” and noting, “Bicuspids everywhere are resting a little bit easier tonight.”