Iron Education, Teaching Aid and Training Content Design · 2025
Cohesion Board Game
by Chan Wing Ki
- A' Design Award 2025 Iron Winner in Education, Teaching Aid and Training Content Design
- Awarded April 15, 2025
- CLIENT: Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 20,787
- Verification code DFF860121B · Verify this award
About Cohesion Board Game
Cohesion is a cooperative board game created for families facing frequent conflicts and communication problems. Players work together within a time limit to remove conflict cards by collecting value cards that represent appreciation, harmony, discipline and warmth. The set includes character cards, event cards, a printed map, an hourglass and acrylic value tiles. Cards may not be shown to others, so players must talk to plan each move. The game encourages family members to act as a team and to solve real problems in a constructive way.
Chan Wing Ki's Cohesion Board Game emerges from contemporary developments in therapeutic game design and family systems pedagogy, representing a growing movement within educational product development that seeks to translate complex interpersonal dynamics and emotional intelligence concepts into accessible, playful, physically engaging formats suitable for diverse family configurations and intergenerational participation. The design demonstrates considerable compositional sophistication in its systematic organization of thematic content across a carefully calibrated chromatic structure, where the dominant blue cards appear to address challenging scenarios and relationship obstacles requiring navigation, while the contrasting yellow cards seemingly celebrate positive relational qualities and constructive family practices, this binary chromatic coding providing immediate visual categorization that supports gameplay mechanics while remaining sufficiently nuanced through illustrative content to avoid reductive oversimplification of family life's inherent complexity. The illustrative vocabulary employed throughout the card surfaces reveals thoughtful consideration of visual accessibility and cultural inclusivity, with simplified figurative representations that suggest human presence and relational dynamics without depicting specific ethnic, age, or body type characteristics that might narrow identification possibilities, instead offering archetypal visual scenarios—figures in wheelchairs suggesting mobility considerations, family groupings in various configurations, individuals engaged in communication gestures, domestic settings rendered through essential geometric forms—that invite projection and personal meaning-making while maintaining sufficient specificity to anchor thematic content. Technical execution demonstrates professional production values appropriate to commercial educational materials intended for repeated handling and extended gameplay sessions, evident in the precision die-cutting that ensures dimensional consistency across the complete card deck, the registration accuracy in multi-color printing maintaining crisp boundaries between chromatic zones, the protective coating providing durability against wear while maintaining color saturation, and the overall material quality suggesting investment in longevity rather than disposable construction. The thematic territory this design occupies connects to broader cultural conversations around family resilience, emotional literacy, therapeutic intervention through play, preventive mental health approaches, and the democratization of psychological frameworks previously confined to clinical settings, bringing concepts from family systems theory, attachment research, communication studies, and positive psychology into domestic spaces through the accessible medium of structured gameplay. Typography choices throughout demonstrate information design acumen, with bold sans-serif letterforms in contrasting colors ensuring legibility across viewing distances and lighting conditions, hierarchical scale distinctions guiding attention toward primary thematic labels while maintaining secondary descriptive text at readable but subordinate sizes, and text placement within compositional zones that preserve illustrative impact while fulfilling explanatory functions. The design may reference or draw inspiration from established precedents in therapeutic card decks, conversation starter games, and European family game traditions that prioritize social interaction and discussion generation over competitive victory conditions, while the visual language suggests awareness of contemporary illustration trends favoring geometric simplification, limited color palettes, and friendly accessibility over decorative complexity or photorealistic representation. One observes how this educational tool navigates the delicate balance between structure and openness, providing sufficient thematic scaffolding to generate meaningful conversation while avoiding prescriptive rigidity that might foreclose authentic family dialogue, inviting consideration of how designed objects can serve as catalysts for interpersonal connection, vehicles for difficult conversations, and tangible anchors for abstract relational concepts that resist easy articulation, ultimately posing the question of what role material culture and designed experiences might play in nurturing family cohesion and emotional understanding across the diverse configurations that constitute contemporary family life.
Press Kit
- 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.
- 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.
- 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. - Image Credits
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- Patents
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Colors of Cohesion Board Game
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