Ronald McDonald House: The Digital House

McDonald’s Sweden has built a new Ronald McDonald House on the online game platform Roblox where seriously ill children get to invite their friends and meet other children in similar situations. The digital house on Roblox is designed based on the wishes of children who have stayed at a Ronald McDonald House. NORD DDB is behind the initiative and the digital house is part of a long-term project where the house will be updated each year. Approximately 4,000 families with seriously ill children stay at one of Sweden’s five Ronald McDonald Houses each year. The houses provide the families with a homelike environment while the children have close access to the care that they need. Studies show that staying at a Ronald McDonald House, and having family nearby during treatment, has a positive impact on the children's recovery. Medical staff also state that a better and speedier recovery allows for tougher treatments. In some cases, the children need specialist care in hospitals that are far away from their actual homes, which makes it difficult for the children to keep in touch with their friends, something which could also have a positive impact on the children's well-being. To facilitate this, NORD DDB and McDonald’s Sweden have joined forces with the British game design company Karta to build a new Ronald McDonald House for the Ronald McDonald House Charities on the gaming platform Roblox. The digital house enables the children to keep in touch with their friends at home but also meet new ones as the game connects all the Ronald McDonald Houses in Sweden. The children were encouraged to dream freely when they helped design the new house on Roblox, and it was only their own imagination that could pose limits to what the house would look like. Several of the children wanted a pool, meanwhile others wished they could go tobogganing. As a result, there are always four seasons going on at the same time inside the game. The digital house will only be available to children who have stayed in a Ronald McDonald House in Sweden, but the children can then extend invitations to their own friends. The idea was developed by NORD DDB and the house on Roblox was created together with Karta. The campaign will be communicated via film, print, DOOH, radio and social media.