We partnered with Tender to design and develop a game to help young people understand and practice healthy relationships. Relationship Goals has a particular focus on supporting young people with mild to moderate special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
An accompanying web application enables schools to set up workshops, personalise the game to learners' individual needs and track students' knowledge and understanding as they progress through different levels of the game.
To enable young people with special educational needs (SEND) to engage with sensitive topics from a safe distance, develop empathy and to “rehearse” for real-life scenarios, exploring their rights, expectations and choices in relationships in a fun and age-appropriate way.
We co-designed every aspect of the game (including its characters, gameplay and narrative) in partnership with 15 young people with SEND, their schools and caregivers. When we asked, young people told us emphatically that they wanted a fun and engaging role playing game to help them navigate the complexities of relationships and to help build their confidence.
The game has five levels and three mini-levels, each of which explores a different topic about relationships. These topics increase in their complexity and maturity as the game progresses. They cover:
We worked with a talented team of scriptwriters to develop the characters and create a narrative that enables the players to “rehearse” for real-life scenarios. The script was written in such a way that the game can be configured for primary and secondary schools - the themes and language adapting to ensure that the levels are age appropriate.
The players choices determine the health of the Relationship and Romance score that they have with each character.
Choices are linked to one of the learning outcomes for each level. This means that adults supporting them can see what topics they are picking up particularly fast, or finding challenging and may need additional support with.
The dating mini levels focus on building young people's understanding of romantic or intimate relationships and include:
Whether a character will go on a date is dependant on how healthy the Relationship and Romance score is with the player. The Relationship and Romance scores are balanced to reflect the outcome of the choices that the player has made during the game.
Students can create their own character using a highly customisable Avatar Builder that enables them to choose from a wide range of facial features, skin tones, hair styles and outfits. The avatar is displayed next to the choices that the player is making.
Throughout the game players are supported by Shay and Mr Hill - friendly and supportive grown-ups who explain how to play the game and highlight important concepts, such as consent. Shay checks-in with players to ensure that they are comfortable when taking next steps with other characters in the game, such as dating or ending relationships.
The player can read background information about each character to find out more about their personality, values, likes and dislikes and help them make informed choices whilst playing the game.
At the end of each level the player participates in a tournament round where their knowledge and understanding of the learning outcomes are consolidated through a series of fun interactive activities.
The game characters were all voiced by professional actors, which not only brings the game to life for players, but also helps students with visual impairments or low levels of literacy to play the game. The game pauses as each dialogue or action is presented. This gives the opportunity for players to move at their own pace and take as much time as required to comprehend/re-read/re-listen to dialogue before making choices.
A settings panels enables players to configure the game to meet their individual needs and they can decide whether to include SFX or Voice Over audio.
The game is supported by a highly customisable online game engine that enables non-technical teams to script, set up and publish new game levels without assistance from the development team. This includes:
The game engine was built using Strapi, an open-source headless content management system (CMS).
The game, workshops and students reports are all managed via an easy to use web app designed specifically for teachers. Teachers can set up workshop groups and create game accounts for students, they can configure the chapters available within the game and decide whether students can progress at their own pace or with support from those leading the workshops. The language used in the game can be tailored to meet the needs of different age groups. The schools platform includes:
This resource aims to create a lasting, positive impact on how players approach real-life social interactions: empowering them to have healthy, equal relationships that enrich their lives.
By educating young people to recognise the early warning signs of unhealthy relationships, we prevent them from becoming victims or perpetrators and empower them to have healthy relationships based on equality and respect.
Tender is currently piloting the game and platform in schools with the aim to scale nationally during 2022-23.
The game is available to play online in the browser and on iOS and Android devices. To find out how to access the game please visit the Relationship Goals website or contact Tender.
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