MTV's 24-hour
college network and the Kaiser Family Foundation announced
a competition to create a Web-based video game that will
raise awareness of HIV/AIDS among 15- to 24-year-olds
and promote action in response to the epidemic.
"Change the Course of HIV Challenge" is open
to any college-age gamers, activists, or students; the
winning idea will be developed by mtvU and Kaiser,
which have committed $75,000 to implement and market
the game.
"No undergrad in
school today has known a world without HIV/AIDS, and a
new young person someplace in the world is infected every 15
seconds," said Stephen Friedman of mtvU in a
release. "Through this challenge, we hope to
inspire college students to use the power of online gaming
to engage their peers, reawaken them to the magnitude
of this deadly virus, and effect prevention."
Tina Hoff, vice
president and director of entertainment media
partnerships at Kaiser Family Foundation, added: "The
competition is designed to help us reach young people
in a different and engaging way to help inform them
about HIV/AIDS and spur action. As HIV remains the great
public health challenge of this generation, it's essential
to find new and creative ways to engage and inform
young people about the epidemic."
The deadline for
submission is March 16. More information and submission
guidelines are available at www.mtvU.com.