By: Stephen Williams

For children, dealing with diabetes daily is anything but a game. But Bayer HealthCare, with its Didget, is aiming to take a little bit of the anxiety out of the arduous process of blood-sugar monitoring. The gimmick: video games.

The Didget is a glucose monitor that works as most other monitors do; insert a special coded strip into a slot on the device, add a tiny drop of blood to the strip, and the digital display in seconds reads out the blood-sugar level. The hardest part is sticking a finger with a lancet to draw the blood.

The Didget, though, plugs into a Nintendo DS handheld game system. The more frequently children test their glucose levels — a crucial measurement for controlling diabetes and adjusting medication — the more points they accrue in unlocking play levels in certain DS video games. If they test more often, they collect more points, and can join in a “Didget World” online community.

“In principle, it sounds like a good idea, although I haven’t actually seen one in use yet,” said Dr. Phyllis Speiser, chief of pediatric endocrinology at the Cohen Children’s Medical Center of New York. “Any device, any technology that will encourage children to do what they need to do is a good development.”

Dr. Speiser said she recommended that children with diabetes test their blood sugar levels “a minimum of four times a day.” She added, “Unfortunately, painless blood sugar testing doesn’t yet exist.”

The Didget retails for $75; Bayer’s “Contour” strips are extra, but often are covered by medical insurance. Some meters need to be coded depending on the batch of strips, but Bayer says the Didget doesn’t, to make it easier for younger children to use.