A therapeutic board game that makes anxiety regulation fun, relatable, and accessible for teenagers through storytelling and play.
Category:
Design for Social Impact
Mental Health tools
Product Design for Play
Game design
Location & Year:
India (2024)
Target Audience:
Adolescents aged 11-17 years
Playtested by:
30+ teenagers | 2 schools | 50+ adults | 12 child psychologists
Team:
Aishwarya Lakhani (Lead Designer & Strategist)
Indhuja Sundaramoorthy (Project Coordinator)
Past Contributors:
Sahithya Papireddy
Siddharaj Mopkar
The Solution
‘Lurking in the Woods’ offers a way in - softly, safely and socially. It is a collaborative and immersive board game designed as a gentle, passive learning tool to build emotional regulation skills. Through play, we aim to make mental health conversations approachable, practical and memorable - so that the learnings stay long after the game ends.
About the game
Set in a forest, the game invites six players to shed fears and journey together toward a shared destination - The Zen Garden.
Along the way, players use Technique cards to perform the regulation techniques (like Box Breathing or Butterfly tapping) to tackle the real-life obstacles mirrored on Challenge cards. And Collaboration cards encourage teamwork throughout.
One of the most powerful aspects of the gameplay is the vulnerability that emerges. We've seen players try all techniques in great spirit or share small truths in front of peers - and feel seen, supported and more connected because of it.
The game introduces these tools gently, educating through subtle experience - without it feeling like a lesson!
We also host and facilitate playtest sessions for students in schools, parents, mental health practitioners for their work, corporate offices, board game cafes, etc. (We'd be happy to offer a walkthrough of the game in advance, if helpful.)
