Cards for humanity

Drawing on a new skill

The idea struck her in April when she was doing research about campus bullying, finding that dramas are often used in Western countries as a preventive measure.

"Scenes, plots, role-play, immersive experience, tactics … When I analyzed the major elements of such dramas, I suddenly realized that they constitute a board game," she says.

She is not a lover of board games, not to mention designing one. As an amateur, she has had to overcome various difficulties.

She has invested a great deal of time and effort in research, for example, delving into several board games that tackle social issues, asking board game experts for advice, and reading related books and materials. She says the core mechanics of board games, to make them fun for the players, are both wisdom and luck.

She found that campus bullying is a rare theme for board games. Magic School, a board game in Taiwan, is about students working together to fight a bully led by evil black magic.

She has had to learn how to draw from scratch in order to design illustrations for the game, revising her draft sketches many times as her understanding of drawing has deepened and adding a dash of black humor into her designs as well.

"I try my best to use simple lines to vividly demonstrate different characters and scenarios. A love for drawing is more important than skill. When drawing with passion, it seems that everything on paper comes to life," she says.

As well as her artistic ability, the process of designing the board game has also seen her attitude gradually change. At first, she felt the sadness of the victims of campus bullying, but then she tried to put herself in the shoes of the bully.

"Those who bully others don't understand how to express their emotions correctly. These children just need correct guidance," she says.