ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on how ludic creativity is being assimilated into a wide range of public health initiatives. It examines in more detail several differing aspects of digital public health which have play and playfulness at their core. Digital public health represents an extension of the medical and healthcare objectives of digital health to provide a broader, holistic overview of health that incorporates, yet goes beyond, the needs of the individual to address community health issues at local, national and international levels. Real-life situations can be linked to fictional characters, enabling players to face challenges through simulation and the re-creation of challenging or complex situations. Public health aims to ‘provide the maximum benefit for the largest number of people’ and this demands novel ways to ensure public health messages are accessible and that they are relevant to the intended audience.
