Speech Bubbles is an educational children’s game about selective mutism. Learn how to manage your anxiety as different type of fish try to talk to you! This game was made over the course of 4 weeks and was designed based on advice from psychological professionals for ages 6 and up.
Small fish, big school..
My role
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My role -
Consulted Professionals
This game covered a really sensitive topic. Because of such, I consulted an expert in the field of Selective Mutism and worked together with him to figure out the best way to carefully design a game around it.
Design
Though I normally do not like designing as Producer, this project put me in a place where I needed to ensure we had a solid design within a concise amount of time. I worked with our designer to create a strong product that was in line with our research. This included needing to pivot when we realized there was an issue with the overall message of our game!
Research
The largest barrier of entry for this product was research. This game not only covered a sensitive topic but also needed to be playable by 6 year olds. I helped compile data and information about selective mutism while also researching the motor skills and game mechanics possible for younger audiences.
Community outreach
I spoke with various communities with SM, interviewing someone in person who had it while also talking to communities on Reddit who had formed around the disability for feedback.
Managed Tight Deadlines
Speech Bubbles needed a lot of careful design and planning to be as effective as it could be at giving its message within a month. I made sure that our design was focused around small, easy to implement systems that were visually easy to understand so we could deliver our work within the 4 weeks we were given.
Gallery
