FDA Launches Anti-Smoking 'One Leaves' Xbox Game For Teens

The FDA teamed up with FCB New York, an advertising agency, to launch One Leaves, an anti-smoking Xbox and PC game targeted at teenagers. The game is offered under the tobacco prevention campaign "The Real Cost," and is part of an initiative discouraging teens from picking up the habit. Players are introduced to a horror storyline, one involving, of course, the death and diseases caused by smoking.

The premise behind One Leaves is that three out of four teenagers who start smoking will never stop. Smoking for even a short duration can pave the way for a number of diseases, and remains the number one cause of preventable death around the world. The idea is that only one teenager out of four "leaves" smoking, while the rest succumb to addiction.

The game is targeted the 12 to 17 age bracket and shuttles players into a horrific labyrinth from which they must escape. There's no apparent exit for the players, and they have no way of knowing whether they'll be the one of four people who manage to get out. The game is joined by social and digital content created in collaboration with Darren Aronofsky.

The "One Leaves" experience was recently presented as an escape room during the 2019 Winter X Games. The public can expect to see related advertisements online, and there are also online radio ads and social promotions planned.

FCB New York EVP and Executive Creative Director Gary Resch explained, "This game is part high school, part hospital and part hell. Our mission, alongside FDA, was to deliver the potent '3 out of 4' addiction statistic in a truly provocative and experiential way."

"The Real Cost" tobacco prevention campaign exists under the FDA's Center for Tobacco Products division; the new game is free to download for Xbox One and PC.