Interview about The Warrior in You Game Design, winner of the A' Toys, Games and Hobby Products Design Award 2023
The Warrior in You is a game design that creates a safe space for students to practice and explore healthy coping mechanisms. It also enables parents to understand their kids better through their game choices. The game successfully abstracts the real-life challenges students face by blending them into the fantasy world of warriors on a quest. The true essence of the project lies in the gamification of coping means that help students build essential attributes such as problem-solving, decision making, and empathy to tackle stressful situations in life.
View detailed images, specifications, and award details on A' Design Award & Competition website.
View Design DetailsThe idea came from watching how academic stress slowly becomes part of a child’s identity. Growing up in India, I saw children as young as 10 already anxious about performance and comparison. I wanted to address this phase when stress habits start to form, but before they harden into long-term patterns. The Warrior in You emerged from that a way to normalise conversations around mental well-being in a playful, familiar setting. By turning stressors into fantasy “demons” and children into warriors, I wanted to shift the narrative from fear to empowerment from 'defining self worth through grades' to 'identifying and practicing a healthy approach to stressful academic situations.'
The challenge was to make coping mechanisms feel experienced, not taught. I used storytelling and game dynamics to disguise psychological learning within adventure. The “demons” in the game represent stressors, and defeating them metaphorically builds a child’s sense of agency. Each challenge or “battle” subtly draws from real-life coping strategies such as reflection, self-expression, emotional regulation, without labelling them as such. I also playtested the game with families, psychologists and game theory experts to identify when the game started feeling too educational to reintroduced humour, surprise, or creative challenges to maintain engagement. This balance helped children learn unconsciously while being fully immersed in play.
The project combined both quantitative and qualitative methods. I began with secondary research on academic stress, mental health interventions, and child development theories. Then, I conducted field interviews and observational studies with students, parents, teachers, and child psychologists to understand emotional triggers and existing coping behaviours. The age group 10–13 was my core focus, but I also studied 16–19-year-olds to trace how small stressors evolve into larger emotional struggles later. I collaborated with psychologists to validate the emotional depth and language of the game, ensuring it remained age-appropriate, non-triggering, and supportive.
The hexagonal islands act as psychological milestones in the journey. Each island represents a theme that mirrors real-life academic experiences like doubt, failure, expectations, or competition, moments where students often feel emotionally tested. The spatial pause between islands is intentional; it encourages players to slow down, reflect, and re-engage, much like how we process stress in real life through cycles of challenge, reflection, and recovery. The hexagon form itself symbolises strength, stability, and balance, subtly reminding players of the need for self-protection and emotional grounding when facing challenges. Practically, the hexagonal design also functions as a container for the battle cards, integrating storytelling, interaction, and symbolism seamlessly into the gameplay.
I focused on simplifying psychological ideas into relatable, experiential actions. For example, instead of teaching “cognitive reframing,” a player might draw a challenge card that asks them to turn a “negative event” into something funny or creative. The warrior’s strengths and weaknesses serve as proxies for emotional patterns, helping players recognise their own tendencies. Another example is, when faced with a challenge card that mimics a stressful scenario, they choose between healthy and unhealthy responses and see the outcomes unfold. This is the cue–action–result model at work. Over time, children begin to associate self-care and mindfulness with positive reinforcement. It’s psychology they can play, not study.
Each warrior was designed as a reflection of common child archetypes I observed during research, the empathetic helper, the confident leader, the quiet thinker, the creative dreamer. Their strengths and weaknesses are deliberately human, mirroring both admirable traits and emotional blind spots. When players read their warrior’s board, they see parts of themselves in those descriptions. As they play, they learn that every trait even weakness can become a strength when understood. It’s a gentle way to build self-awareness and emotional literacy.
The roll of dice and steps in the board with power ups and power downs are completely upto chance while tasks and decisions are strategic to a players choice. This mirrors real life, where we can’t control what situations maybe come up and happens to us, but we can control how we respond. The game encourages children to evaluate risks, make trade-offs, and adapt based on consequences. This builds flexible decision-making a core coping skill under stress. The element of unpredictability keeps them emotionally engaged while reinforcing that setbacks don’t define the outcome; perseverance and mindful choices do.
Families described The Warrior in You as a real “conversation starter.” One parent told me, “It’s a great way to bond with your kids every time you play, you discover something new about them.” The Parent’s Guide that accompanies the game was especially well-received as it helps parents reflect on their child’s in-game choices and what those reveal about their coping habits or emotional triggers. Children became deeply immersed in their warrior characters, and even their tone and confidence during play began to shift, making conversations around emotions feel natural and fun rather than forced.Teachers and psychologists also found it valuable as a non-threatening tool to introduce emotional literacy in classrooms. What’s been most rewarding for me is hearing that parents started reflecting on their own stress patterns while playing along!
The art direction was built around empowerment, not fear. While the concept of demons could have turned dark, I illustrated them in an imaginative way to ensure they feel playful rather than intimidating. Warm colour palettes, soft gradients, and expressive characters were used to keep the emotional tone light. The mystical world builds a sense of adventure, while the modern, relatable warrior designs ensure children see themselves in the narrative. Every visual choice was intentional to invite curiosity, reduce anxiety, and make well-being feel aspirational.
The long-term goal is to extend The Warrior in You beyond a board game. I envision a digital adaptation with adaptive storylines, plus school and counselling versions co-facilitated by teachers or psychologists. It can become a toolkit helping schools integrate emotional education into daily life, or families use it as a reflective weekend activity. Ultimately, I want it to evolve into a community-led platform where mental well-being is not a corrective measure, but a preconditioned skill, something every child grows up practising naturally.
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