Inclusive Board Game Design

Inclusive Board Game Design

We love having interns at the office for the fresh perspectives and enthusiasm they bring! Luca Jakabovics & Linnea Blomqvist are no exceptions. Well, actually they are exceptional! They are students at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and working on a Master Thesis on accessibility in gaming. That is right up our alley for how we want Ion Game Design to operate in the world, bringing all people together. 

The working title for the thesis is Inclusive Board Game Design.

Now, let’s hear from Luca & Linnea …


  • What is your favorite thing about working for a board game company?

So far, we only had a nice and inspiring experience working together with ION, everyone at the company is very open to supporting us in any way they can!

And talking about our favorite thing... We get to research and play games for our thesis - how cool is that?! The enthusiasm we receive from others when explaining our topic is more than motivating. "That must be so fun!" "You play board games as your thesis? I'm so jealous!"

We feel like we are living the dream right now!

  • How did you come to decide that accessibility in gaming was something you wanted to research?

We both enjoy board games and like playing them in our free time. When it came time to brainstorm ideas for our thesis, we wanted to combine something we were enthusiastic about with a meaningful topic.

Regarding our university studies, we felt like there was a lack of attention to inclusivity, despite its importance. So, we decided to take on this challenge and dive headfirst into researching this field, giving ourselves a chance to learn something new, while working towards a noble purpose: ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to be included and have fun playing board games.

  • If you designed a game for Ion Game Design, what would it be about and what would be the main mechanism?

We got inspired by our mentor's upcoming research on involuntary loneliness, and thought - wouldn't it be amazing to create an easy-to-learn board game that brings joy and social interaction to the elderly?

Playing games can be a great way to combat the loneliness and isolation that many elderly individuals experience. We would love to create a game that is not only entertaining but also encourages human connection. Our idea for the game is to be based on a cooperative mechanism that would allow players to work together towards a common goal, providing them opportunities to chat and connect. And to attach an educational value to the game, it would be fun to add a historical twist, that the elderly can relate to.

Maybe something about time travel...?

  • What are you most excited about for 2023?

Luca:

It's a really hard question since after finishing the thesis and university, my life will be full of question marks.

I have no idea about what the future holds, where I will live, what I will work with... But I guess I find this mysteriousness and the possibilities that come with it very exciting! I like that I have infinite options and the only limit is my imagination.

And other than that, I am over the top excited about board games that will be released during the year of course! :)

Linnea:

Like Luca, I'm excited about what's to come. I'm looking forward to my last summer vacation and reflecting a bit about the years I have been studying before moving on to the next chapter of my life, being graduated as a Product Design Engineer. I am currently seeking an exciting internship abroad for the fall. It's a journey I am looking forward to a lot! On a more relaxed note, I am excited about baking a lot of sourdough bread.

Let’s hear it for Luca and Linnea! If you want to read more of their Master Thesis, we will be linking it in our News section once it is finished so stay tuned.



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