A FANTASTICAL, COOPERATIVE AND COOPERATIVE CARD GAME.
ETHICAL ESCAPISM
The core concept of this project is to create a form of escapism that does not take advantage of the user and provides them with something they can bring back into their lives. Whether it is educational, provides emotional release, or social inclusion, escapism should not take advantage of it's users.
VANQUISH THE SILENCE
Vanquishers is a collaborative card game in which you work together to defeat monsters using' resource' cards, create a space for conversations, and participate in fun challenges. The game uses 'wound' cards to represent the different symptoms of a mental health condition that each character has. Vanquishers teaches youth about the signs of mental health struggles and to de-stigmatize conversations around them. It is the first card game to harness game-based learning to teach teens about warning signs, an approach that uses fun and repetition to help them memorize the signals and reduces stigma by associating mental health conditions with heroic characters. The collaborative core of the game creates a space which necessitates accepting and asking for help from your friends. The fireside chat mechanic promotes conversations that inspire introspection and positive self-reflection.
OCADU THESIS
At OCAD University, there is a long standing tradition of the final year of each bachelors program be dedicated to a self-directed project. It not only allows for students to explore a topic they are passionate about, but allows them to make a statement as a designer. It acts as a trial by fire that brings out a wide variety of innovative and extraordinary work.
FROM VICTIMS TO HEROES
One of the primary focuses of this project was to change the perception of people with mental health struggles. In my research it became clear that describing mental health conditions through a biomedical model only increases stigma and hesitance. Instead the player characters were built around a psycho-social approach (where mental health issues were framed as responses to difficult life events), which has been proven as effective in reducing stigma. The player characters are capable heroes that overcome their mental health struggles, creating positive representations that players can relate to.
FIRESIDE CHAT
The novel mechanic in Vanquishers is a conversational break that is prompted by the Fireside Chat card. During this break players are encouraged to answer questions about themselves that nudge them to think more positively about themselves. Question prompts like "Each player describes their favourite part of their body" provide a space for vulnerability and bring players into thinking about themselves differently. The mechanic is loosely based on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy and works on putting the brain in the habit of more positive pathways. These breaks also help to create comradery with the players, forging a gateway to trust that might result in players confiding in each other.
A JOURNEY TO HEALING
Each boss monster represents a different hurdle one might face as they work towards getting help. The use of this parallel in game not only helps players understand and be aware of some of the challenges ahead of them, but defeating the monsters with their friends creates the connection that these challenges can be overcome together.
VICTORY BECOMES YOUR STRENGTH
Once the players defeat a boss monster, the monster is flipped over and acts as a boon for the players as they take on the next challenges. This helps offset the abilities of the increasingly difficult monsters and provides a clear sense of progression. The new ally also creates a snowball effect that mirrors getting help in real life. Although each step may be difficult, it gets easier with each victory you achieve.
INSIGHT
An estimated 10-20% of adolescents globally experience mental health conditions, half of which start by 14 years of age; often, they go under diagnosed and under treated (WHO). Although mental health has become a more visible issue, it is commonly misunderstood, and many events point to this. Don’t Worry Village in Mokpo, Korea is a reaction to the pressure to be normal and ignorance around mental health. iRespect & Protect in Salem, USA show parents are concerned with teen mental health and are looking for resources. Animal Crossing: New Horizons exemplifies how games can have a therapeutic effect and create a positive community.
IDEA
A card game built for education, collaboration, and conversation: the 'wound' cards associate mental health symptoms with physical damage and by being specific to characters, players can understand and discuss these signs and how they relate to each other. Players work together in the game, creating an environment in which they depend on each other and are encouraged to receive help. The breaks in between combat create space for conversations, with prompts that foster self-reflection and appreciation. By harnessing game-based learning, Vanquishers makes signals easier to remember, builds positive habits, and is an experience that is actively sought out rather than forced.
IMPACT
I want to educate about the warning signs so that players notice them in both themselves and others. Teens can use this to learn about themselves and their friends, while also having a catalyst for conversation. Teachers can use this to supplement teaching about mental health. Parents can use this to learn about their teens and to spark action. Empowering teens with this knowledge, early detection and action can literally save lives.
PROCESS
DESIGNING FROM HOME
I had completed my thesis work in a very unique state of the world: the COVID-19 pandemic. It was an unprecedented situation that OCADU had not prepared aptly for. As such, working remotely without access to the university's services and community required taking initiative and adapting quickly on the fly. Testing in particular was an issue, since the majority of the project time was spent under lock-down. During the project I prepared printouts that volunteers could create the cards themselves and help discussions with experts through the internet. Creating and testing prototypes required thinking out of the box, having to aptly test ideas without the proper tools and conveying said testing over the limitations of video calls.
INTERACTIVE INVESTMENT
A concept that I had formed through my research, dubbed interactive investment, is that people become more invested in their escapism as they begin to participate more actively with it. I had noticed this in things like fan culture and hobbyist sports, and as I further researched cognitive science, it became clear that for my concept to stay with people in needed active participation and interaction. It also needed to be repetitive, to really solidify the neural pathways that I was trying to encourage. Repetition and association were key to bringing forward the messages of mental health conditions don't make someone bad, that you it is good to reach out to others for help, and understanding what the warning signs are so that you know when to do so.
KOI
In the early stages of the project, I explored the concept of a meditative experience focused on young adults rather than teens. I quickly steered away from this as the core tenants of the project became accessibility and prevention. Using projection AR is still prohibitively expensive for most people, so I was forced to bring my concept into a more accessible medium: paper.
COLLABORATORS
Although this was an individual project, I had the advice and guidance of multiple people throughout the process:
Devan Gertner (Social Worker Advisor), Ola Soszynski (Game-play Advisor), and Kamilla Vorobieva (Illustration Advisor)
Project completed in April of 2021