Light or Dark Bordspel by Lan Zhou and Xinlu Yang

Light or Dark Bordspel by Lan Zhou and Xinlu Yang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award in Brons in Speelgoed-, Speletjie- en Stokperdjieprodukte Ontwerp Competition Category.

BronsSpeelgoed· 2023

Light or Dark Bordspel

by Lan Zhou and Xinlu Yang

A' Design Award in Brons Winner in Speelgoed Category

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Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #150191

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Light or Dark Bordspel

Lig of donker is 'n tweespeler-kinderbordspeletjie wat teen die agtergrond van die wêreldenergiekrisis gestel is, insluitend kaarte, dobbelstene, uurglas, skaakbord en ander verwante komponente. Spelers moet die taak voltooi om die verspreiding van besoedeling te bekamp en nuwe energiestasies met beperkte tyd en energie te bou. Die doel is dat kinders 'n gevoel van tyd, konsentrasie en omvattende strategie in samewerking en probleemoplossing ontwikkel, en om 'n gevoel van krisis, 'n gevoel van dringendheid, 'n gevoel van missie en 'n gevoel van oorwinning in uitdagende en interessante speletjies te ervaar.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award in Brons

Light or Dark Bordspel is 'n wenner van die A' Design Award in Brons, 'n hoogs prestigieuse erkenning wat toegeken word aan uitstaande ontwerpe wat gekenmerk word deur kreatiwiteit, vindingrykheid en skerpsinnigheid. Wenners in Brons is ruimskoots vaardige en opvallend kreatiewe artefakte wat die groot ervaring, verbeelding en vindingrykheid van hul ontwerpers bevestig. Daar word verwag dat Light or Dark Bordspel 'n hoog aangeskrewe, bewonderde en gekoesterde voorwerp is wat merkwaardig professioneel en innoverend is. Hierdie ontwerp wat die A' Design Award in Brons gewen het, inkorporeer die beste praktyke in kuns, wetenskap, ontwerp en tegnologie en is uitstekend vanweë sy aandag aan detail. Light or Dark Bordspel bevredig behoeftes pragtig, raak aan begeertes, bekoor gevoelens en spreek die nuuskierigheid aan.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: A two-player board game based on the background of the world's energy crisis, guides children to complete tasks in a cooperative way under a variety of constraints through various element settings. During the game, children need to look at the overall situation and plan rationally when facing and solving a series of problems. This tests and develops the child's sense of time, concentration and comprehensive strategy.
Dimensions & Packaging: 330 mm (w) x 235 mm (d) x 53 mm (h)
Tags: children's board game, educational design, strategy, consideration of reality
Production Technology: The base block of the game board is made of colored beech, and the rest of the components are mainly ABS or PMMA.
Design Challenge: We spend most of our time developing the rules of the game, thinking about how to project the serious and complex energy crisis issues into a children's board game, so that children can experience a sense of crisis, a sense of urgency, a sense of mission and a sense of victory, making the game educational, challenging and fun.
Research: After the preliminary formation of the rules of the game, children over the age of 7 were invited to conduct a playtest. Light or Dark get their feedback on the game design itself and their rich emotional feedback. Some of them won the game by thinking calmly and adjusting their strategies in the face of the tense situation, while others failed in panic. But this also made them realize the necessity of environmental protection, which made the winning and losing of the game equally meaningful.
Inspiration: The problem of energy shortage and environmental pollution has a long history. In 2022, due to the combined effects of multiple factors, the global energy supply and demand was seriously out of balance. While looking for and developing more sustainable alternative energy sources, the concepts of energy saving, emission reduction and sustainable living should also be instilled in everyone's daily life.
Project Duration: The project started in December 2022 in Milan and finished in February 2023 in Milan.
Operation Flow: After randomly drawing a map card and completing the assembly, place the hourglass to start the game. Players need to use limited raw energy to plant trees, withstand storms, control the spread of pollution and complete the task of building new energy stations to win the game. Every time the hourglass lights up, it warns of the spread of pollution, and when the energy stations light up, it means the generation of new energy. Players can get random raw energy supplies by rolling dice, and can also share new energy generated by new energy stations with partner.
Team Members: Designer: Lan Zhou
Designer: Xinlu Yang
Image Credits: Lan Zhou & Xinlu Yang, Light or Dark, 2023