play2PREVENT Lab

What play2PREVENT Lab does

play2PREVENT Lab is an academic research unit within Dartmouth College's Center for Technology and Behavioral Health (Geisel School of Medicine), founded in 2009 by Dr. Lynn E. Fiellin (previously at Yale). The lab develops and rigorously evaluates evidence-based "serious games" — interactive video games designed for health promotion, risk reduction, and educational intervention in youth and young adults ages 10–19. Core products include PlayForward: Elm City Stories (HIV prevention, ages 11–14), smokeSCREEN (smoking/vaping prevention, ages 10–16), PlayTest! (HIV testing/counseling, ages 14–18), PlaySmart (opioid misuse and mental health, ages 16–19), empowerED (cognitive reappraisal skills, ages 14–18), and the in-development PlaySocial (teen mental health and social media wellbeing). Games are built using the lab's proprietary "Game Playbooks" methodology — intervention manuals bridging health behavior theory and game design — and are evaluated via randomized controlled trials, with five published RCTs and over 25 peer-reviewed publications demonstrating statistically significant outcomes in knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, and behavioral intentions.

The lab operates as a multidisciplinary "Collective Brain" of researchers, community partners, and commercial game developers, collaborating with Schell Games, 1st Playable, Digitalmill (Ben Sawyer), and Industrial Toys (Alex Seropian) for production. Distribution occurs through partner platform Playbl.com (consumer channel) and through schools, school-based health centers, after-school programs, and community organizations (institutional channels), with over 40 school partners and 50+ community partners documented.

The business model is non-commercial grant funding. Revenue derives from NIH institutes (NICHD, NIDA, NIAAA, NIH/FDA Tobacco Centers of Regulatory Science) and foundations (CVS Health Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson, Chan-Zuckerberg, BEST/Conrad N. Hilton, Blavatnik), plus targeted grants such as the September 2025 $755,000 award from Proof Positive and October 2025 funding from Young Futures. No pricing model is publicly disclosed and no direct consumer sales occur; the entity is structured as an academic research laboratory rather than a venture-backed company.

Name

play2PREVENT Lab

Legal name

play2PREVENT

Website

https://play2prevent.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

play2PREVENT Lab is a Dartmouth College research unit that develops and rigorously tests evidence-based serious video games targeting substance misuse, mental health, and sexual health in adolescents and young adults.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Health Serious Games

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Serious Games & Simulation Studios (Training, Defense, Enterprise) (MPAFAAAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Educational Games & Kids/Families Game Studios (MPAFAAAI), Simulation, Scenario & Serious Games Design (EDAGAKAH)

Keywords

• Serious games for health
• Youth health interventions
• Digital health games
• Substance misuse prevention
• Behavioral health research

Headquarters

HQ city

Lebanon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. NIH and Foundation Research Funding: The lab is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) including NICHD, NIDA, NIAAA, NIH/FDA, as well as foundation funding from CVS Health Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, BEST Foundation/Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, and Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative. Funding supports the development, evaluation, and implementation of videogame interventions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

play2PREVENT Lab is an academic research laboratory that designs, develops, and rigorously evaluates evidence-based serious (video) games targeting health and risk prevention in youth and young adults. Its product portfolio includes digital health games for HIV/STI prevention (PlayForward: Elm City Stories, PlayTest!), opioid misuse and mental health (PlaySmart), smoking/vaping prevention (smokeSCREEN), cognitive reappraisal (empowerED), and teen mental health/social media wellbeing (PlaySocial, in development). Games are developed using theory-based frameworks and user-centered design, then validated through randomized controlled trials and deployed via partner schools, community organizations, and the distribution partner Playbl.

Product overview

The play2PREVENT Lab offers a portfolio of evidence-based serious games (video games for health beyond entertainment) targeting risk prevention, well-being, and social intelligence in children, teens, and young adults. The core product suite includes PlaySmart (opioid misuse prevention, ages 16-19), PLAYTEST! (HIV/STI testing promotion, ages 14-18), smokeSCREEN (vaping/smoking prevention, ages 10-16), PlayForward: Elm City Stories (HIV prevention and risk reduction, ages 11-14), empowerED (cognitive skills and school climate, ages 14-18), and PlaySocial (mental health/social media, in development). All games are distributed through the partner platform playbl.com and meet youth 'where they are' via mobile delivery. The Lab also developed the VR prototype Invite Only VR for e-cigarette prevention and the educational math game Knowledge Battle. Games are developed using principles of character education, social and emotional learning, and tested through rigorous RCTs. The portfolio uses the 'PlayForward Prevention Platform' approach, with Game Playbooks serving as intervention manuals for researchers and developers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PlaySmart: Digital health game targeting opioid misuse prevention and mental health promotion for ages 16-19, funded by National Institute on Drug Abuse.
• PLAYTEST!
• smokeSCREEN
• PlayForward: Elm City Stories
• empowerED: Think It Through Digital Stories

Products and services

• PlaySmart A digital health video game targeting opioid misuse prevention and mental health promotion for adolescents ages 16-19. Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, the game addresses risk and protective factors for opioid misuse and mental health through engaging interactive gameplay designed to teach skills and change behaviors.
• PlayTest! A serious video game focused on encouraging HIV/STI testing and counseling and overall health promotion and advocacy for adolescents ages 14-18. Developed in association with Schell Games and funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). The game was evaluated through a randomized controlled trial with 287 participants.
• smokeSCREEN A digital game focused on smoking and vaping prevention and cessation for adolescents ages 10-16. Addresses tobacco product use including e-cigarettes. Funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)/FDA and the CVS Health Foundation.
• PlayForward: Elm City Stories An interactive risk reduction and HIV prevention video game using a time-travel narrative where players use an avatar to 'travel' through time, facing challenges such as peer pressure and risky behaviors. Players experience how their choices affect their future and can go back in time to change choices, creating different outcomes. Designed for youth ages 11-14, funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
• empowerED: Think It Through Digital Stories A cognitive-behavioral video game intervention focused on developing and practicing skills in reframing negative thoughts to improve the school environment for adolescents ages 14-18. Funded by the Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative.
• PlaySocial An innovative digital health game in development to promote teen mental health and digital wellbeing by addressing the challenges and opportunities presented by social media. Targeted at adolescents and funded by Young Futures.

Quantifiable outcome

• PlayForward: Improved sexual health attitudes (LS means difference 0.37, p=0.04) and knowledge (LS means difference 1.13, p<0.001) in minority adolescents at 12 months across 333 participants
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Young FuturescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025In October 2025, the lab received funding from Young Futures to develop PlaySocial, an innovative digital health game to promote teen mental health and digital wellbeing by addressing challenges and opportunities presented by social media. The lab was named a Young Futures Innovator and part of the Here Comes the Fun Cohort.
• Proof PositivecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025In September 2025, the lab announced a partnership with nonprofit Proof Positive to develop digital health games with and for young people with autism (and their families) to enhance happiness and wellbeing. The project integrates game-based learning into Proof Positive's evidence-based curriculum through a three-phase development, evaluation, and implementation plan over two years, with a $755,000 grant.
• Dartmouth Center for Technology and Behavioral Health (CTBH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe lab is housed within the Center for Technology and Behavioral Health at Dartmouth's Geisel School of Medicine, providing institutional infrastructure and research support.
• PlayblcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPlaybl partners with the play2PREVENT Lab to bring digital health game interventions to wider audiences through strategic marketing and distribution. All games are available via playbl.com.
• Schell GamescoreTechnology or IntegrationSchell Games is a commercial game development studio that collaborates with play2PREVENT on game development, including PlayTest! which was developed in association with Schell Games.
• Yale Center for Health & Learning GamescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe lab was previously affiliated with the Yale Center for Health & Learning Games, where initial game development and research was conducted before transitioning to Dartmouth.
• Games for ChangeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGames for Change is a partner organization supporting the serious games field and providing professional networks for health game developers and researchers.
• School-Based Health AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSchool-Based Health Alliance is an institutional partner supporting implementation of digital health games in school-based health settings.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Akili Interactive: Digital therapeutics company that develops prescription video games for cognitive health conditions. Operates in the evidence-based health games category with regulatory pathways, but focused on clinical rather than prevention use cases.
• Kognito: Health simulation and role-play platform used in schools and healthcare settings for behavior change. Comparable in deploying evidence-based interactive simulations for health education, with overlap in target populations.

Direct peers

• Yale Center for Health & Learning Games: play2PREVENT Lab's predecessor affiliation at Yale; conducts research on serious games for health and learning. Same academic lineage and methodology, making it a direct comparable research peer.
• Hopelab: Nonprofit social innovation lab that designs digital solutions, including games and apps, to improve the health and wellbeing of young people. Direct peer in mission, methodology (evidence-based digital interventions for youth), and target audience.
• Schell Games: Commercial serious games studio that co-developed PlayTest! with play2PREVENT Lab. Schell Games is a leading developer of transformative games for education, health, and training, making it a directly comparable peer in the serious games for health category.
• 1st Playable: Commercial game development partner that has worked with play2PREVENT on health game projects. Specializes in developing high-quality games for educational and health clients, directly comparable in production approach.
• Games for Change: Nonprofit organization supporting the serious games field and providing professional networks for health game developers and researchers. Listed as a partner of play2PREVENT and operates in the same youth health and social impact serious games space.
• Digitalmill: Serious games consulting firm co-founded by Ben Sawyer (a play2PREVENT collaborator). Provides game consulting and development expertise in the same health and social impact serious games space.

Broad incumbents

• EVERFI: Large-scale education technology platform delivering digital learning on topics including health and wellness to K-12 schools. Competes for the same school-channel budgets and student engagement minutes, though broader in scope.

Others

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Division of Adolescent and School Health: Federal agency that funds and disseminates evidence-based youth health interventions, including school-based programs targeting substance misuse and sexual health. Comparable as a stakeholder and funder ecosystem participant, not a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/play2PREVENT
• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/play2PREVENT/130846350325381
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/play2prevent-lab
• Instagraminstagram.com/play2prevent

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about play2PREVENT Lab