Esther Kute (TUK Nairobi)
This is a collaboration between students from the Technical University of Kenya and the University of Applied Sciences Augsburg, Germany, working together to create a board game about cooperation and sharing of resources in Nairobi.
Game Concept
The board game brings about intercultural interpretations to depict aspects of life in Nairobi through the lens of game design. During a joint virtual workshop between the two universities in November 2021, the students brainstormed and developed an early prototype that concerned itself with the daily business of hawkers of Nairobi. In this prototype, players pick different roles such as hawkers and other locals, each with their own goals for the game, and try to achieve these goals by gathering and trading resources.
While it is possible for any player to win on their own, the process of playtesting the game eventually revealed that the »best« way to win is to cooperate – achieving the own goal, while working with others to help them achieve theirs – thereby imparting the value of shared victory.
Process
This project is being achieved with the guidance of game designer Thomas Fackler, through holding bi-weekly online course and team meetings where modules and assignments on game design are brainstormed, discussed, prototyped and tested by the students and facilitators until the board game is completed. In April 2022, the students met parallel to the meeting of the Expert Panel in Nairobi in person (Link). They further developed the game idea, created a first prototype that was tested. This prototype was presented to the members of the Expert Panel. The prototype is now being designed, further prototyped and produced to be presented at the EVC Summer School in Kassel (July 29th – August 5 2022) and played and discussed with the EVC partners there. Based on these discussions the game will be reflected on and further developed between the summer school and the final congress in Augsburg in October, 2022.
The project hopes to develop a board game that encourages the players to share and collaborate which each other in order to win the game, while still making the game highly challenging and enjoyable to play.
Project Facilitators: Prof. Doris Binger, Dr. Mary Claire Kidenda, Thomas Fackler, Ms. Esther Kute