Cohesion Ciyaar Guud (Board Game) by Chan Wing Ki

Cohesion Ciyaar Guud (Board Game) by Chan Wing Ki is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Abaalmarinta Birta ah ee A' Design Award in Naqshadeynta Waxbarashada, Qalabka Macalinka iyo Waxa La Tababbarayo Competition Category.

BirWaxbarasho· 2025

Cohesion Ciyaar Guud (Board Game)

by Chan Wing Ki

Client: Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Abaalmarinta Birta ah ee A' Design Award Winner in Waxbarasho Category

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View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

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The Design

About Cohesion Ciyaar Guud (Board Game)

Cohesion waa ciyaar guud oo iskaashi ah oo loo sameeyay qoysaska la kulma khilaafyo iyo dhibaatooyin isgaarsiineed oo joogto ah. Ciyaartoyadu waxay ku shaqeeyaan iskaashi gudaha wakhti xaddidan si ay uga saaraan kaararka khilaafka iyagoo ururinaya kaararka qiimaha oo matalaya qadarinta, wada-jirka, edebta iyo diirimaadka. Xirmadu waxay ka kooban tahay kaararka jilayaasha, kaararka dhacdooyinka, khariidad la daabacay, saacad-cammuud (hourglass) iyo tayilo akrilig ah oo qiimo leh. Kaararka lama muujin karo dadka kale, sidaas darteed ciyaartoyadu waa inay wada hadlaan si ay u qorsheeyaan tallaabo kasta. Ciyaartu waxay ku dhiirigelinaysaa xubnaha qoyska inay u dhaqmaan sida koox, oo ay dhibaatooyinka dhabta ah u xaliyaan si wax-ku-ool ah.

The Recognition

About the Abaalmarinta Birta ah ee A' Design Award

Cohesion Ciyaar Guud (Board Game) waa guuleystaha Abaalmarinta Birta ah ee A' Design Award, aqoonsi sharaf leh oo la siiyo naqshado wanaagsan oo buuxiya shuruudaha xirfadeed iyo kuwa warshadeed ee laga filayo hal-abuurro si wanaagsan loo naqshadeeyay. Guuleystayaasha Birta waxay muujiyaan xirfad weyn, takhasus sare, fahan khabiir iyo awood hal-abuur oo abuurayaashooda. Cohesion Ciyaar Guud (Board Game) waa hal-abuur la filayo inuu noqdo mid aad loo tixgeliyo, la ixtiraamo oo la jecel yahay, wax ku ool ah oo cusub. Naqshadahan ku guuleystay Abaalmarinta Birta ah ee A' Design Award wuxuu isku daraa hab-dhaqannada ugu wanaagsan warshadda wuxuuna leeyahay sifooyin farsamo oo karti leh oo ku xiran aqoon iyo hibo. Dhammaystirkeeda awgeed, Cohesion Ciyaar Guud (Board Game) waa mudan ixtiraam, waxaana loo naqshadeeyay inay keento hagaajin nololeed oo ka caawisa in adduunka laga dhigo meel ka wanaagsan.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: Cohesion is a cooperative fast reaction board game designed for educating the families who are facing negative relationships. Players must work together, utilizing different family values like appreciation, harmony, discipline, and warmth, to overcome conflicts and maintain family solidarity. Through communication and collaboration, the game teaches players how to deal with real-life problems in a constructive and positive manner.
Dimensions & Packaging: The board game includes one box package(22cm x 16cm), 4 character cards(8.5cm x 5.5cm), 52 values cards(8.5cm x 5.5cm), 26 event card(8.5cm x 5.5cm), 17 conflict cards(8.5cm x 5.5cm),1 hourglass, 1 map(29.7 cm x 42 cm), 52 acrylic value tiles (3cm x 3cm).
Tags: Board Game, Family conflicts, Team Building, Family Dynamics, Conflict Resolution, Cooperation, Communication Skills, Positive Relationships
Production Technology: The design of "Cohesion" involved a thoughtful process combining research and creative methodologies. I utilized card-based mechanics to encourage interaction, with 4 character cards, 52 value cards, and 26 event cards designed to represent core family values. The 17 conflict cards introduce real-life challenges, fostering discussion and resolution. The board and acrylic tiles were crafted with precision to enhance the visual appeal. Iterative playtesting helped refine gameplay mechanics, ensuring a balance between fun and meaningful engagement.
Design Challenge: Developing "Cohesion" presented the challenge of balancing engaging gameplay with meaningful lessons on family dynamics. Ensuring that the game effectively promoted cooperation over competition required extensive research into family values and conflict resolution techniques. One significant obstacle was addressing the diverse communication styles within families, as seen in Millie's case, where misunderstandings arose. By incorporating feedback from family wellness studies and iterative playtesting, I refined mechanics to foster appreciation and collaboration, ultimately enhancing family connections.
Research: Research Background
The shift from large, interconnected extended families to smaller, detached nuclear families has led to increased instability for families and negative impacts on children. David Brooks (2020) notes that while life has become freer for individuals, it has also resulted in heightened family conflicts. Family conflict refers to active opposition between family members and can arise from struggles over values, scarce resources, and differing interests. Cooperation is essential for maintaining healthy family dynamics, yet competition often overshadows it.
Methods
The design of the board game focuses on fostering cooperation among family members to address conflicts. It aims to create a supportive environment where families can navigate challenges together. The game is informed by research on family well-being, specifically from a study conducted by the Hong Kong Family Welfare Society.
Tools
Board Game: The primary tool for facilitating family interactions and promoting cooperation.
Score System: The game includes a scoring mechanism based on four subdomains of family solidarity: family time, family atmosphere, family responsibilities, and care and support.
Value Promotion: The game emphasizes positive values to counter negative situations and improve family interactions.
Participants
The target audience for the board game is families experiencing negative relationships, characterized by frequent conflicts and poor communication. The game is designed to engage all family members, encouraging them to work together and strengthen their bonds.
Results
The game encourages families to recognize themselves as a team, improving interactions and fostering positive emotions. It provides a support system that helps individuals navigate life's challenges while ensuring they feel connected and valued within the family unit.
Insights
Importance of Cooperation: Emphasizing cooperation over competition is crucial for maintaining healthy family relationships.
Communication Gaps: Addressing communication barriers is essential to prevent misunderstandings, as seen in Millie's family, where communication issues lead to conflicts.
Family Solidarity: Focusing on family solidarity creates a sense of belonging and connectedness, which are vital for emotional well-being and resilience in facing challenges.
Positive Values: Promoting positive values within the game can help families manage conflicts more effectively and build stronger relationships.
Inspiration: The pandemic has led to extended periods of time spent at home with family, resulting in an increase in family conflicts. This rise in conflicts can be attributed to more frequent communication, differing interests, and inconsistent views and opinions on various matters. Interestingly, many of these conflicts often begin with positive intentions but can end in negative feelings.
My board game design aims to address these dynamics by encouraging open communication and understanding.
Project Duration: The project started in December 2022 in Hong Kong and finished in June 2023 in Hong Kong, and was exhibited in Jockey Club Creative Arts Centre in June 2023.
Operation Flow: At the start of the game, each player draws a role card indicating how many base cards they need to hold. Players then draw two conflict cards, replacing any eliminated card with a new one to maintain two on the board. The game is turn-based; if a player lacks the necessary cards to resolve conflicts, they must discard and draw a new card. Players can’t show their cards but must communicate about them. They use event cards to gather required value cards to eliminate conflicts. Players must do this before the hourglass runs out to score family cohesion levels.
Patents: /
Team Members: Designer: Chan Wing Ki
Image Credits: /