{"id":15962,"date":"2026-02-16T10:56:35","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T15:56:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rmu.andrewyames.com\/?p=15962"},"modified":"2026-02-17T18:36:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T23:36:54","slug":"serious-game-ideas-week-4","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rmu.andrewyames.com\/?p=15962","title":{"rendered":"Serious Game Ideas Week 4"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
    \n
  1. Mind Matters<\/strong> (Monopoly-Style Mental Health Game)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • Goal: Stay mentally balanced, not rich<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Win\/Lose: Cooperative win if players avoid burnout; group loss if too many burn out<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Money – Energy Points: Used for all actions<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Properties – Life Areas: School, Work, Friends, Sleep, Hobbies<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Railroads – Support Systems: Therapy, Family, Friends<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Utilities – Coping Skills: Exercise, Mindfulness, Journaling<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Houses\/Hotels – Habits & Routines: Help energy, overbuilding causes burnout<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Chance\/Community Chest – Stressors & Support<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Jail – Burnout: Pause, rest, or accept help to recover<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Message: Balance matters, burnout is real, and asking for help is part of the game<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      1. Panic Attack! <\/strong>(Exploding Kittens-Style Mental Health Card Game)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        • Type: Fast party card game (2-6 players, 10-15 min)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Goal: Avoid panic spirals and survive the deck<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Panic Cards: Knock you out unless defused<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Coping Cards: Breathing, Grounding, Text a Friend (cancel Panic)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Stress Cards: Force draws, skips, shuffles<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Avoidance Cards: Skip, See the Future, Shuffle<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Twist:\n
            \n
          • Coping cards are limited<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Some Panic cards require help from another player<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Win: Last player standing or cooperative survival<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Message: Panic is sudden, coping takes effort, support matters<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            1. Unhelpful Advice<\/strong> – (Based on Bad Thearapist but better bc that game is not good)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                \n
              • Type: Party card game | 3-8 players | 15-20 minutes<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Goal: Win rounds by matching the worst advice to serious mental health prompts<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Prompt Cards: Real struggles (anxiety, burnout, imposter syndrome, loneliness)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Advice Cards: Wildly unhelpful, tone-deaf, or clich\u00e9 responses<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Judge Role: One player picks the \u201cmost realistically awful\u201d advice<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Scoring: Judge awards a point to the winning advice<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Twist:\n
                  \n
                • Occasional Reality Check Cards pause the game to share what actual helpful support looks like<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Optional debrief at the end of rounds<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Tone: Dark humor with boundaries (no slurs, no glamorizing harm)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Message: Bad advice is common, listening matters, and mental health isn\u2019t one-size-fits-all<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                    \n
                  1. Dear Me<\/strong> – Therapy Edition (Journaling Mental Health Game)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                      \n
                    • Setting: Individual or group therapy, school counseling<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • Players: 1\u20136 or solo<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • Goal: Guided self-reflection and emotional regulation<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • Levels:\n
                        \n
                      • Grounding – identify emotions and body sensations<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Reflection – explore patterns and self-talk<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Growth – values, strengths, future goals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Journaling:\n
                          \n
                        • Timed writing (2-5 minutes per prompt)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • Writing required, sharing optional<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • Skipping is allowed without explanation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • Therapist Cards:\n
                            \n
                          • Pause (breathing\/grounding)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • Reframe (thought challenges)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • Strengths (coping skills)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • Win Condition: None<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • Message: Self-awareness, consent, and healing over performance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                              \n
                            1. Spoon Buffet<\/strong> (Sushi Go – Style Mental Health Game)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
                                \n
                              • Type: Drafting\/set-building card game | 2-5 players | 15-20 min<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                              • Goal: Manage your \u201cspoons\u201d (energy) each day and avoid burnout<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                              • Card Types:\n
                                  \n
                                • Task Cards – Work, School, Chores (cost spoons)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                • Self-Care Cards – Sleep, Exercise, Mindfulness (restore spoons)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                • Support Cards – Friends, Therapy, Family (protect or boost spoons)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                • Stress Cards – Anxiety, Overcommitment, Unexpected Events (drain spoons unless countered)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                • Mechanics:\n
                                    \n
                                  • Draft one card per round, pass the rest (like Sushi Go!)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                  • Plan to avoid running out of spoons<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                  • Some Stress cards require help from other players<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                  • Scoring \/ Win:\n
                                      \n
                                    • Points for ending with the most spoons preserved<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    • Penalties for \u201cspoon debt\u201d (overexertion)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    • Optional cooperative mode: group wins by balancing total spoons<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    • Message:\n
                                        \n
                                      • Mental health is finite; energy management matters<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                      • Self-care restores energy; support prevents burnout<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                      • Recognizing limits is key; overextending has consequences<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":247,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[89,90],"tags":[139],"class_list":["post-15962","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-game-design-studio-2","category-serious-game-ideas","tag-marked"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmu.andrewyames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15962","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmu.andrewyames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmu.andrewyames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rmu.andrewyames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/247"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rmu.andrewyames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15962"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/rmu.andrewyames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15962\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15963,"href":"https:\/\/rmu.andrewyames.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15962\/revisions\/15963"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rmu.andrewyames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15962"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rmu.andrewyames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15962"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rmu.andrewyames.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15962"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}