In the early 1990s, someone decided kids needed an SNES game about managing diabetes.
That is how we got Captain Novolin, a superhero who fights junk food enemies while checking his blood sugar and taking insulin.
It sounds like one of the strangest games ever released for the Super Nintendo, but the story gets even more interesting. Raya Systems released an entire line of Health Hero games covering diabetes, asthma, and the dangers of smoking.
The games were not exactly SNES classics. Still, one study found that teens who played Packy & Marlon had 77% fewer urgent doctor visits over a three-month period.
How Raya Systems made SNES health games for sick kids in the early 90s and why their unlikely research results still matter today.











