LOOP - Life Of Ordinary People

Consume continuously to compensate for work stress; Work stressfully to support continuous consumption... This is the Life Of Ordinary People, the LOOP!

 

LOOP is a 1-6 player educational card game designed to 1) Raise public awareness on how Consumerism and Materialism are affecting our environment and personal well-being; and 2) Motivate behavioural changes towards sustainable consumption (SDG12). In the game, players are challenged to balance the material life between WORK, BUY, & CONSUME, to gain HAPPINESS while preventing resource DEPLETION. The Online Companion Guide leads players through reflections and discussions between games to unfold 3 key learning objectives: a) Detach from material possession; b) Shift from Materialistic to Experience-based Value Orientation; and c) Recognise sustainable consumption behaviours. Anonymous gaming data were collected through our Web APP for analysis and design guidance for the game mechanics, ensuring the optimal intrinsic in-game behaviours align with our learning objectives. The benefits of using Serious Game as educational tools are its universal appeal (especially to demographics that are resistant to traditional direct messaging) and its ability to capture and retain learners’ prolonged attention.

 

From 2019 to 2024, we held over 50 SDG12 Serious Gaming Workshops with over 2,500 local university students, fellow scholars, and the Hong Kong citizens. In 2021, LOOP was crowdfunded successfully on Kickstarter raising over HKD$300k from backers across 60 countries and regions around the world. It showcased not only there is market demand for Serious Games, but also how social impact, entertainment, and business could be integrated.

 

The game illustration is a playful interpretation of a Continuous Loop and is also heavily inspired by Hong Kong's popular neon signs from the 60s. They witnessed the city's greatest leap in economic growth and modernisation, which ironically, also became the cradle of Materialism and Consumerism.