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USE YOUR HEAD
80% of athletes who sustain a concussion will experience some sort of post-concussion syndrome.
The only way to avoid severe a concussion is to stop playing after any head trauma occurs.
Digital
1. Google Chrome browser execution that appears during Concussion Awareness Month. After loading the page, the regular google search page turns blurry and words on the page scramble to represent concussion symptoms.
2. Then a pop-up will appear that says, "If this is what it costs to keep playing, is it really worth it? Between 1.7 & 3 million sports and recreation related concussions occur in the U.S. each year. Symptoms include blurred vision, light and noise sensitivity, confusion, trouble reading, and much more. Visit www.headwayfoundation.com to learn how you can help prevent concussions and aid in concussion recovery."
Digital / Experiential
1. Video game execution through partnership with sports games like FIFA, Madden, NHL, etc. to help increase concussion awareness.
2. After a contact hit during the game, a pop-up appears alerting the player that they have received head trauma and gives the player the option to "push through" or "take the bench."
3. If the player chooses to take the bench, their current game ends but they do not incur any additional consequences. The player can start a new game and keep playing as normal since they got checked by a doctor and played it smart instead of pushing through and continuing to play.
4. If the player chooses to push through, the video game's graphics and the function of the controller become impaired. The screen becomes blurry and there is a lag when the player pushes buttons on the remote.
After a few minutes, the player will receive a pop-up alerting them that, since they continued to play, they have a concussion were unable to perform during the game. Additionally, their recovery time is now greatly extended. For the next 7 days, their video game will not be optimized. This represents the repercussions of ignoring head trauma.
If the player wants their game to return to normal before the week is up, they are directed to donate to the Headway Foundation.
5. At the end of the game, a pop-up appears to educate the player on the risks of undiagnosed concussions and lead them to the Headway Foundation to learn more and help aid in concussion awareness and recovery protocols.
My concussion story: In 2018, I was competing at a horse show, and after the first jump my horse bucked me off. I hit my head, but between the adrenaline coursing through me and my (misplaced) need to "get back in the saddle," I convinced my coach to let me get back on and compete in the next class. I ended up losing consciousness in the middle of the course and flipped off of my horse. I landed directly on my back on top of a jump. After rushing to the ER, not only did I have a concussion, but I had also severely bruised the vertebrae in my lower lumbar spine. I was extremely lucky that I didn't fracture my spine. So from personal experience, I can say that it is NEVER worth it to push through. We only get one brain and one body so we must treat them like we won't get a second chance.
Visit www.headwayfoundation.com to learn about concussions and help work on preventing and curing head trauma.
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