Mould feels like a winter problem, so it’s frustrating when it still shows up in a Hibiscus Coast home in summer.

New Zealanders are often told preventing mould is simple: open the windows, turn on the fan and heat the house.

Yet mould continues to plague homes across the country, raising a bigger question about whether advice alone is enough.

Researchers at Massey University’s School of Built Environment think the issue is not a lack of information, but how it’s delivered.

Their response is Mold Quest, described as the world’s first digital game designed to let people test everyday housing decisions and see how those choices influence mould risk in real time.

Players step into a typical New Zealand house and move through bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms, making choices about ventilation, heating, moisture and even furniture placement, then seeing immediate feedback on mould risk.

Lead researcher Abdollah Baghaei Daemei says: “People are often told what they should do but not shown how those recommendations play out in everyday life. Opening a window sounds simple, but when, for how long and in which room, makes a real difference.”

Massey University Researcher, Abdollah Baghaei Daemei.

The team says people can struggle to connect abstract advice with daily routines, especially in older or poorly performing homes.

Mold Quest was built around clear learning goals and tested in controlled experiments with 120 participants, comparing the game with video-based learning.

Both groups gained knowledge straight away, but Mold Quest users showed stronger long-term knowledge retention and higher intrinsic motivation after four weeks, and reported lower mental effort and higher system usability.

Abdollah says it can help tenants with realistic, low-cost strategies and give landlords a preventive education tool, while still recognising mould is a shared issue involving both behaviour and building performance.

He says the game complements Healthy Homes Standards rather than replacing them, and the prototype is now being explored for future field trials and partnerships.

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