About
“Would you… ?” revolves around decision-based gameplay. Players are given the choice to be intimate with a selection of different suitors, with the goal to get as many satisfaction points as possible. The first and most obvious strategy for winning is to be intimate with as many suitors as possible. However, the game is designed so that access to condoms is limited. This makes the temptation towards unsafe sex increasingly potent. In most games a “high-risk = high-reward” concept is common practice and is also known, to some extent, by players. “Would you… ?” deliberately breaks this convention for the sake of impact by simulating more-or-less real life consequences for the players. After repeatedly playing the game, players will realize that the best strategy to win is by having safer sex and waiting until they have sufficient protection rather than taking a risk – which is the behaviour we aim to support.

In a subtle way, this game may also suggest to the player that relationships and sex are not like a game that one has to “win”, but are instead experiences that everyone can explore at their own pace.The end of the game, known as the “testing phase”, imitates getting tested at a clinic. Since many STIs are asymptomatic, the only way to find out whether you have an infection is by getting tested. Similarly, all risk cards in the game remain face-down until the end-phase, when they are flipped up, revealing the “results” of your tests. This detail hopefully conveys the importance of testing.

Tagline
“Would you …?” is an analogue card game that aims to raise awareness of STI/HIV risk, prevention and the importance of testing and is targeted at young women aged 16-25 living in Tanzania.

Team
Sam Baer – Project Lead/Artist
Tristan Hantschel – Designer
Genefra Pamin – Designer