Kelp in Hand – The Seaforestation Card Game
Project Details
It's easy, just keep your Kelp in Hand!
Project Description
Kelp in Hand aims to bring attention to and inspire action for vanishing kelp forests, a crisis for ocean ecosystems: disrupting biodiversity, altering habitats, and endangering the balance of marine life. Through exploring the 50 unique cards and fun facts in each deck, players leave the game with a deeper understanding of the effects such as climate change, pollution, and overgrazing on these kelp ecosystems, and hopefully a fun play experience.
Kelp in Hand has gained significant interest from board game lovers and educators alike over its five-month incubation in the Ocean Bridge program (Oct 2023-Feb 2024). The game has been requested by educators across BC and Canada (Campbell River, Powell River, cities in Ontario) to use as an education tool in their classrooms and programs, as well as local card game and ocean enthusiasts to supplement their collections. Players start gaining curiosity as young as the age of 6 thanks to the vibrant colours and variety of designs in the game, and the mechanism is simple enough to learn and participate in at all board game levels.
During our February launch weekend, we successfully engaged with over 500 people at Rain City Games and the Vancouver Aquarium, selling out of our 100 first edition copies and raising over $1000 for the Ocean Wise Seaforestation movement. Safe to say that the Kelp in Hand journey is not over!
Keep yourself posted on Kelp in Hand updates at our Instagram, @kelpinhand. We’re excited to show you all what comes next!
What was your biggest challenge?
The ever-present challenge of the project experience was the four-month timeline for project development. In the end, I was satisfied with the result and grateful for the extra pressure that a short turnaround provided in terms of project efficiency, but it was a dynamic hurdle to navigate nevertheless.
What was your most valuable takeaway?
My most valuable takeaway from this project is the value of mentorship, guidance, and appropriate support. Throughout the Kelp in Hand design process, my Ocean Bridge coach deftly honed my vision during our calls, and connected me with the network I required for success. Through this, I was able to ask questions to the right people, and receive the answered I needed to carry out the project in the most efficient way to meet the quick turnaround.
