Light or Dark Boerdspul by Lan Zhou and Xinlu Yang

Light or Dark Boerdspul by Lan Zhou and Xinlu Yang is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2023 A' Design Award yn Brûns in Boartersguod, Spultsjes en Hobbyprodukten Ûntwerp Competition Category.

BrûnsBoartersguod· 2023

Light or Dark Boerdspul

by Lan Zhou and Xinlu Yang

A' Design Award yn Brûns Winner in Boartersguod Category

40,460

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #150191

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Light or Dark Boerdspul

Ljocht as tsjuster is in boerdspul foar twa spielers ynsteld tsjin 'e eftergrûn fan' e wrâld enerzjykrisis, ynklusyf kaarten, dobbelstiennen, sânglês, skaakboerd en oare relatearre komponinten. Spilers moatte de taak foltôgje om de fersprieding fan fersmoarging te beheinen en nije enerzjystasjons te bouwen mei beheinde tiid en enerzjy. It doel is dat bern in gefoel fan tiid, konsintraasje en wiidweidige strategy ûntwikkelje yn gearwurking en probleemoplossing, en in gefoel fan krisis, in gefoel fan urginsje, in gefoel fan missy en in gefoel fan oerwinning yn útdaagjende en nijsgjirrige spultsjes.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award yn Brûns

Light or Dark Boerdspul is in winner fan de A' Design Award yn Brûns, in heech prestisjeuze erkenning foar treflike ûntwerpen dy't har ûnderskiede troch kreativiteit, fernuft en tûkens. Brûnswinners binne tige feardige en opfallend kreative artefakten dy't de grutte ûnderfining, ferbylding en betochtsumens fan har ûntwerpers befêstigje. Fan Light or Dark Boerdspul wurdt ferwachte dat it in tige heech achte, bewûndere en dierber objekt is dat opmerklik profesjoneel en ynnovatyf is. Dit winnende ûntwerp fan de A' Design Award yn Brûns yntegrearret de bêste praktiken yn keunst, wittenskip, ûntwerp en technology en is treflik om syn omtinken foar detail. Light or Dark Boerdspul foldocht behoeften prachtich, reitsjet winsken, betsjoeveret gefoelens en sprekt nijsgjirrigens oan.

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