The Warrior in You Game-Design

Press Kit

Unique Properties

Key targets of the game are- Introduction and acceptance of healthy coping mechanism, Initiating conversations in households and Expressing self. The game design is primarily based on Play & Talk therapy. By playing out life experiences through the game kids learn to cope without feeling judged. It also enables immersing into warrior characters to normalise their well-being struggles and instil empathy for self and others. This unique approach to actively inculcate coping mechanisms helps one build stronger relationship with self, people and environment.

Dimensions & Packaging

A2 size 420 x 594 mm base board and backdrop palace, 5 hexagonal island boxes 70 x 70 x 70 mm, 4 A5 148.5 x 210 mm size warrior boards, well-being coins and elements of 30 mm diameter, 4 warrior pawns of 60mm in height and 1 dice.
Age Group 10+ Family game

Tags

Academic Stress, Coping Mechanisms, Game Theory, Child Psychology, Board Game,

Production Technology

The base board and palace backdrop are printed on sunboard of 3mm thickness for sufficient base strength to hold pawns and islands as well as for the palace to stand upright. The islands were printed on card paper for a light-weight stable box to hold cards within. The warrior boards use sunboard to place all cards, coins and elements collected by players through the game. All the graphics and characterisations for the game were first illustrated on paper and then illustrated using Adobe Illustrator to create unique designs.

Design Challenge

The most crucial challenge while building the game was balancing the engagement versus learning aspect- Appropriate theoretical application of psychology and coping mechanisms. Encasing these coping mechanisms within the storyline to entertain the kids and ensure effective learning

Research

Students experience academic stress as a result of the interactions they have with parents, peers, teachers, as well as the environment at home, school or society at large. These stressors range from family and personal expectation, peer competition, school atmosphere to the demands by the society that affect students’ mentally, physically, emotionally and cognitively. Thus, students of the age 10-12 must be empowered with healthy coping mechanisms to overcome the distress caused by unhealthy academic competition. As the academic stressors begin to take shape into mental health problems by the age of 14, the study targets the preconditioning aspect. The game solution uses a systemic approach to game design and applications of behavioural psychology to introduce primary grade students to healthy coping means. It further provides a future pathway for expanding the intervention into other avenues such as schools and psychologists’ clinics for optimum child development.

Inspiration

The motivation for the game stemmed from seeing personal experiences with academic stress being amplified and reflected among the young students, leading to mental health struggles and loss of self-identity.

Project Duration

The project started in October 2021 in Mumbai, India and completed development in April 2022.

Operation Flow

The game has simple gameplay interactions that begin with setting up the base board, palace backdrop and placing 5 island boxes on their designated spots on the board. The next step is for the player to select a warrior character, pick out their pawn, warrior board and challenge cards. They must read more about the character’s strength and weakness given on the warrior board.
The players must take turns to roll the dice. The board is created like maze with the Blank steps, Power-ups to earn well-being coins or move ahead, Power-downs that make players lose coins or go back, Challenge steps to perform tasks and Islands where players must win a battle to move ahead. The win conditions are made to build anticipation through stroke of luck and healthy choices in the game. The first to reach the palace gains 5 points followed by 4, 3 and 2. These palace points need to be added with the total well-being coins collected in the game to decide the winner.