Leukaemia took the lives of 40,000 teens in 2020 alone; while there is currently no cure, The CRIS Cancer Foundation is working tirelessly to raise awareness and develop research to beat the disease. To engage a new generation, build awareness and gain support in the battle against leukaemia Cheil Worldwide Spain have created a video game mod to draw attention to the cause.

‘The Battle Inside’ is a modified version of Doom Eternal, the latest release of the iconic 1993 first-person shooter game where players are challenged to ‘fight cancer to beat cancer’. In this mod of the game, play is altered to take place inside the body where the battle imitates the struggle against leukaemia. 

The game mod introduces new characters to Doom, designed to bring to life the behaviour of the disease. In this version of the game, players have to battle against the characterisation of leukaemia’s impossibly fast-replicating cells, blastocysts, carcinomas and viruses. 

Doom is known for being one of the bloodiest first person shooter games and so acts as the perfect platform to seamlessly replicate an environment that mimics ‘inside the body’ while also delivering the powerful twist of gamers battling the characters of cancer. CRIS’ scientific director Christina Thomas is a keen gamer and was a valuable collaborator on the project providing knowledge of the disease with an understanding of the scientific and educational value that can be shared through video games. 

The mod was created with the help of Cheil Worldwide Spain over a 12 month period which involved deep research into the microscopic details of Leukaemia cells and their behaviours that were then accurately characterised to bring new characters to the Doom experience. 

“Through an iconic video game we’re able to raise awareness about leukaemia for a new audience. CRIS is an exceptionally innovative organisation and we wanted to truly engage younger generations with the fantastic work it does in the most innovative and impactful way. We were inspired by the challenge of modifying a game featuring death and violence and transforming it into one which speaks of hope, life and awareness.” explained Alejandro Di Trolio, Executive Creative Director, Cheil Worldwide Spain.

The development combined in-house and specialist external dev skills to bring the internal physical battle to life with high quality rendering of new characters. To create the most seamless experience it was essential the new characters were blended with the existing Doom universe and fast-paced gameplay. 

To  launch the mod game the charity sought the help of several of Spain’s top game influencers who received The Battle Inside mod, including cancer survivor XYS. The experienced gamers proved that once inside the game play, even the most skilled players find it overwhelming and eventually succumb due to the level of difficulty of the leukaemia-like enemy. For those playing or watching via live stream, The Battle Inside aims to give an insight into what the body has to undergo fighting the disease. 

“People are numb to traditional charity advertising that simply tells people about yet another issue in the world. The Battle Inside mod changes everything by immersing the gaming generation in the experience of leukaemia, so they not only understand the epic battle but in doing so develop true empathy for patients and the need for innovative research. This will no doubt prove a more potent way to gain the support from the very people Leukaemia attacks, teens.” added Malcolm Poynton, Global CCO, Cheil WW.

With the launch of this campaign, CRIS Cancer Foundations aims to engage and educate a new generation of supporters by immersing them in understanding what an epic battle leukaemia poses for patients. The charity is also looking to introduce the next generation to giving support for innovative research and so the game incorporates Spain’s Bizium mobile payment platform, enabling gamers to donate while playing.  

“The battle inside is an idea that seeks to show the cruelty of cancer in young people but it is also an idea that wants to generate awareness about the disease that for many is ignored and above all to raise funds to continue research, because we believe that cancer can be eliminated, we need to do a lot of research to get there.” added Marta Cardona Patau, Director, CRIS Foundation.

NGOs like CRIS are increasingly challenged by an ageing donor base but as lukaemia takes the lives of teens it is important to raise awareness amongst the younger demographic. As opportunities within gaming continue to evolve, the medium makes for the perfect place to engage with the next generation in an interactive, memorable way.

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