The video game is part of the Stanford Children's CHARIOT program . Doctors hope it can make the experience more positive and encourage more children to keep up with recommended immunizations as adults. 'We frequently encounter kids and even big kids, adults, who are scared of needles and shots,' said Dr. Sam Rodriguez, a pediatric anesthesiologist with Stanford Medicine. He is also a founder and co-director of the CHARIOT program.
'How can we address this needle phobia, this fear of needles and target it at a really, really young age so that don't we have adults who are scared of needles in the future and hesitant to get vaccines,' Rodriguez told KPIX. 'Some kids, sometimes building the pinata is their favorite part, that will be the whole experience for them, that's all they want to do.