When Singapore went into lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Associate Professor Yann Boucher from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health wanted a stimulating educational tool to entertain his five-year old daughter. Tapping on his experience in developing basic games to teach microbiology concepts, Associate Professor Boucher decided to design a game to educate his daughter and his upcoming classes in public health about COVID-19.
Inspired by the board and card games that he played when he was growing up, Associate Professor Boucher took reference from various game designs and mechanics. While the initial artwork of the cards was rudimentary, a chance encounter between Associate Professor Boucher and Dr Anna Szücs from the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine led them to discuss a collaboration for the artistically-inclined Dr Szücs to illustrate and co-develop the game.
Lockdown! is really meant to be a family game. Each player takes on the role of a country’s government during the COVID-19 pandemic and are faced with problems such as travellers bringing the virus back in the country or community transmission of the virus, and players will need to solve them with adequate solutions like quarantine or social distancing rules.
“We also introduced an element of cooperation, where you can ask other players to use their resources to help solve issues you are facing with the virus. The goal is to teach basic principles of public health such as masking, social distancing, travel bans, and link particular problems encountered during a respiratory disease epidemic to specific solutions”, Associate Professor Boucher shared.
Following months of further development and refinement of the game rules, Lockdown! went into production and is now available for public sale online. Proceeds from Lockdown! will go to The Red Pencil (Singapore), an Institution of Public Character and a registered charity founded in Singapore with a mission to bring the benefits of creative arts therapy (drawing, music, movement and dance) to less privileged children.
Lockdown! is priced at $25 and available on Shopee: https://shopee.sg/Lockdown!-an-engaging-and-exciting-educational-card-game-i.205719557.15017303132
Media Coverage:
- Roleplay governments and take a crack at solving Covid-19 crises in new card game by NUS dons, The Straits Times, 20 December 2021
- 国大学者设计冠病主题桌游 让玩家扮演决策者管控疫情, Lianhe Zabao, 20 December 2021