"Novartis Land" the Latest Entry in Weird Drug-Based Video Game Trend

(MoneyWatch)  Teva might want to ask Novartis where the latter got its idea for "Novartis Land," the HR video game that Novartis employees are asked to play in order to teach them about ethics. Novartis Land bears a strong resemblance to Teva's game, "Biologicsland."

BNET readers will remember that back in October Teva launched Biologicsland as an online game that gently hints there ought to be a legal pathway to generic biologic drugs. (And yes, that game was as dull as it sounds!)

The games are just the latest in the pharmaceutical industry's baffling obsession with trying to present drug information via thrilling interactive gameplay. Pfizer, Sanofi and Novo Nordisk have all trodden in the Valley of the Joystick (see below for more examples).

Here's how Novartis Land works, according to this press release from the Ethical Corporation Institute:

Employees at Novartis don't just sit in training workshops. They 'play' there way to learning about the company's code of ethics in "Novartis Land", an online training program offering the opportunity to interactively explore the policies and answer questions in an online dialogue-role-play setting.

Employees interact online with 3D characters and have dialogues based on scenarios found within the company's corporate policies. They navigate through the dialogue, making decisions they may have to make in real life and answer a quiz style game show on company ethics. Once all available dialogues and game shows are successfully completed, a company certificate is issued.

Of course, both Teva and Novartis ought to be sued for IP violations by Hasbro, which owns Candy Land, the game that all this stems from.

• See BNET's previous coverage of video games created by drug companies:
• Teva Joins Bizarre Drug-Based Game Trend
• Sanofi Joins Pfizer in Drug-Based Video Game Business
• From the Vault: Novo Nordisk's "Captain Novolin" Nightmare
• Pfizer Courting More Controversy with Viagra 'Advergaming'