Tessa Wilson
That's Life
Gamifying bringing attention to empathy.
Tessa’s thesis is centered around empathy and fights to bring more attention to the lack of this concept in our day to day lives. She orchestrated and designed a board game titled That’s Life which mirrors the beloved family favorite The Game of Life, however, hers is full of satire to get players to come to one realization: Life isn’t fair and empathy helps. She welcomes all to sit down, roll the dice, and learn something new about the people around them which is exactly how you win the game- by achieving empathy.
The board itself is filled with imagery resembling the journey and development of the players. The twirling path is full of twists and loops to keep everyone engaged and moving towards the end goal!
Bursting with detailed illustrations, this game is equipped with a colorful and welcoming instruction manual that sheds light on to the rules and regulations of That’s Life. Inside there is a print for the owner of the game to tear out and hang up in their office, home, or workspace to continually remind them of the empathetic journey they experienced while playing this board game.
There are ninety event cards, each one containing a unique and eye opening experience that moves a player forward or backward. There are three decks to choose from, however, players must only choose the card that matches the colored space they are on. This determines where you are in life; childhood/adolescence, adulthood, or senior. Each experience allows the player to gain insight into others' lived experiences. Expansion packs will also be available for people to add fresh topics to the event cards to keep the fun rolling!
Life is Hard and Empathy Helps is the print poster that can be found within each instruction manual. Two hands can be seen extending towards one another in a hand shake of understanding and acceptance. They are intentionally placed above an olive branch which is the symbol of peace and surrounded by other plants bringing the theme back to growth and maturity.
These postcard sized handouts are given to each player to help encourage them to be a better listener, a better encourager, and a better friend. The whole point of this game is to cause others to realize that life isn’t always easy but the kind people in this world make it a little less hard to handle. These cards can be sent to loved ones or stored in a spot players view everyday to act as a gentle reminder to be patient with others and to consider their experiences.