The game of life

Subita Naik tries Life Lift at home. Pic/Ashish Raje

A Self-Contained group of tissues that performs a specific function' is how most textbooks will define an organ. But as in the case with most things, we only truly realise its meaning when it comes to survival. So, when you spot an app called Life Lift - that is designed to raise awareness on organ donation - it makes you think about the urgency of the subject even when its origin is far away from your own country, in Kentucky, America.

First impressions
Developed by Trust For Life and Kentucky Organ Donor Affiliates - both organisations aimed towards promoting donations - the app that released this month resembles the Candy Crush variety. And it's understandable since its target audience is Generation Z that comprises those born between the mid-1990s and early 2000s. And therefore, we get Subita Naik, a 13-year-old Santacruz resident, to take it for a spin.

The app is available on both iOS and Android devices.

But what does a ninth grader already know about organ donation? Naik sums up, "We have been taught about organs but not about donating them. I only know that if people need help and if we don't need our organs anymore, we can give it to them. And apart from that, I've seen a blood donation drive in my vicinity" When she tries Life Lift, it does lag a bit while starting up. It doesn't ask for your email ID or social media account to sign up and one only needs to state a username.

The game essentially is about a helicopter flying around the Kentucky sky. Your mission is to gather as many life-saving objects i.e. organs in gift boxes and drop them to the hospital, avoiding obstacles like windmills and hills along the way. But for those who wish to go one step further, there's a button on the bottom left that directs you to an American website that lets you register yourself as a donor - which isn't valid in the Indian context but at least helps put the information out there.

Report card
And that's the app's advantage and disadvantage. As Naik says, "While it made me curious about the subject, I didn't end up learning more about it. Although it is suitable for those aged above 12, it took a while for me to understand the main aim of it; You have to concentrate [to be able to crack it]."

There is a set mission before you start playing the game

Apart from wishing there was more content, Naik loved the interface and graphics. And at the end of the day, she will also recommend the application to friends and request them to Google the topic as well. She concludes, "It helped convey that organ donation is like giving a gift. I think students like myself need to be taught more about it, and early on. It is not a scary topic and is our right to know."

Content 6/10
Design 9/10
Features 9/10
Performance 7/10
User Experience 8/10
Overall Score: 7.8/10

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