This project aims to develop a board game that will help players collectively experience the life of tropical urban birds across three seasons of a year.
The most common form in which city dwellers encounter wildlife is through the plants and animals that live in urban surroundings. Yet urban biodiversity draws very little attention from the city-folk. As a part of this project, we plan to conceptualize, design and develop a board game that helps its players collectively experience the life of tropical urban birds across three seasons of a year. The game will operate on a representative map-board of a dynamic cityscape inspired by diverse habitats and landmarks of urban and peri-urban regions of Bangalore. Through this game, we hope to connect people to nature within contexts that they can relate to. We envision the interactive format and across the table conversations prompted by the play experience of this game, to enable players to learn about the challenges that an ever-changing urban environment creates for birds. Our audience are mainly young adults, but we also aim to keep it accessible to all residents of Bangalore across different age groups. We hope that the game will invoke curiosity and sensitize its players to the changes in their city and its impact on urban wildlife, making them more aware and empathetic.
By Prasad Sandbhor, Priti Bangal
Start Date: August 2021
Contact:
Prasad Sandbhor: sandbhorprasad@gmail.com
Priti Bangal: pritibangal@gmail.com
Status Report & Updates:
Board Game concept and prototype
Game concept is ready and 3 versions of prototypes have been play tested across 8 sessions, version 4 is being play tested. The design phase has almost concluded and the final version will be ready soon.
Game illustrations and auxillary materials
The bird illustrations are ready and other illustrations are in progress.
An information guide about the birds in the game and documentation of the design journey so far will be published.
Background research
The team has built an extensive literature and media library for the game. This and the material from their interviews with experts like Dr. Subramanya will be published on their website in English and Kannada. Shortlisting birds for the game, identifying elements unique to Bangalore city and its challenges, events and changes in the city are being incorporated into the gameplay through iterations.
Website design (and community outreach)
The website has been launched. It will host outreach material such as blog posts and articles as part of the background research, and can be accessed at the links below:
English: blog link
Kannada: blog link
The periodically published bogs will reveal the game design process while the game is being finished! Their final community engagement sessions with the game will be conducted as both online and offline sessions starting December onwards and continuing past the grant period.
Follow them on twitter @playinnature_in for updates!