Developed by Hopelab, Re-Mission is
a challenging, 3D video game with 20 levels that takes the player on a journey through the bodies of young patients
with different kinds of cancer. Players control a nanobot named Roxxi who destroys cancer cells, battles bacterial
infections, and manages realistic, life- threatening side effects associated with the disease. HopeLab stated that the
results from its scientific study involving 375 teen and young adults at 34 medical centers in the United States,
Canada and Australia showed young people who played Re-Mission were more likely to stick to their medication regimens
than those who did not play the game. The genesis for the video game came from Pam Omidyar's imagination while working in a research laboratory during the day, watching cancer cells multiplying under a microscope, and then going home to play video games with her family and friends. She got the idea that a video game for young people with cancer might play a positive role in helping them fight their disease. What if a video game designed especially for kids with cancer gave them a feeling of power over their disease as they blast away at the cancer cells? She had access to researchers to test the game and see if it really would help the kids. In 2001, Omidyar, wife of eBay Inc. founder, launched HopeLab to make this idea a reality. Today, HopeLab is a nonprofit organization that helps young people deal with chronic illnesses.
HopeLab is distributing a PC version of the game to young people with cancer, free of charge, through its website and online community at Re-Mission. The game is available is in english, french and spanish versions. The Re-Mission website also provides an interactive, online community where teens and young adults with cancer can share information and support one another.










