- Miriam Verburg is a digital strategist and independent game designer who created LongStory, a progressive and queer-positive dating simulation game. - LongStory helps players learn about healthy relationships and sexuality through choice-based scenarios. It addresses a gap in what youth want to learn about versus what they are taught in sex education. - The game provides multiple relationship outcomes and allows players to experiment in order to learn communication skills and understand different feelings, attitudes, beliefs, and backgrounds regarding intimacy, sex, gender and sexuality.

1. Games for health post-
conference networking
Moderator: Miriam Verburg

2. My name is Miriam Verburg, I am a digital
strategist and independent game designer.
This is the game I am currently working on….

3. LongStory progressive and queer-positive dating
game that helps players sandbox healthy
relationships and sexuality. The first episode was
released March 7 – 25th, 2014
Platforms: IOS, Android, Desktop
Audience: All ages
Downloads: +15k
Marketing budget: $800

4. Why a dating game?
There is a significant discrepancy between what
youth are learning and what they want to know
with respect to sexual health. Healthy
relationships, HIV/AIDS & sexual pleasure are the
top three sexual health topics youth want to
learn about.
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Less than 30% of the diverse youth
populations surveyed reported they
have learned about healthy
relationships and no group included
sexual pleasure as one of the top
three topics learned.
Planned Parenthood Toronto Teen Report: pp: 27

5. LongStory is a game that helps players
learn how to talk about and understand
their relationships, feelings, and desires.
The game provides guidance in the form
of choice options and different outcomes
so players work through emotional
scenarios and replay or experiment as
much as they want.
Example: Abby can be a great friend,
maybe even a girlfriend. But first you have
to figure out what you want.. And even
then… It’s complicated.

6. For the love of context
While focused on prevention and behavior change
sex education media often fail to acknowledge that
cultural backgrounds and sexual preference play a
big role in the development of intimate practices,
and self-care.
In a global village, a game about
love, relationships and dating
shouldn’t present a single model
for a healthy relationship because
youth bring diverse values and
beliefs to the table.

7. In LongStory characters express different
feeling and attitudes towards, intimacy, sex,
desire, sexuality and gender.
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The story shows the interaction of these
beliefs without privileging one set over
another.
Example: Marcel has a really hard time
with PDA. He’s originally from Dubai and
back home kissing a girl was something
you only did in private. He’s also not so
sure how he feels about gay kids being
out, but he doesn’t want to make waves
either - He’s the new guy after all.

8. • Give players multiple options for meeting their
needs and expressing boundaries
• Create realistic non-player characters with traits
that encourage empathy.
• Ask players to make difficult choices, but
support them so they can do so comfortably.
• Create a game context that is like their real
world. Include elements such as texting to
provide a realistic experience of intimacy.
Design strategies

12. • Players don’t think it’s a
health game
• Players ask for second
episode
• Players care about the
non-player characters
• Players start telling us
what they want from the
story
Key Performance Indicators

14. • Gender of player character is *so*
important
• Audience is more forgiving of major
issues than you are.
• Very difficult to define an ‘age group’ as
an audience when designing a game.
Discoveries

15. What makes games good tools for
addressing health & wellbeing
challenges?

16. 2 Minute intros
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• Name & elevator bio.
• What was your favorite game as a
kid?
• What health challenge are you trying
or have you tried to address with a
game?

17. Talk to your neighbor
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• Pair up.
• Person on the right, ask the person on the
left to tell you three important things about
themselves.
• After two minutes person on the right,
introduce the person on the left to the
person on your right. Remember the
important things.

18. Are health games any different
then regular games? Should
they be?
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19. What features does a game
need to be considered a
health game?

20. How do we transform complex
sometimes painful issues into
pleasurable experience?

21. How do you know when a game
is the right tool for your health
challenge?
Interac.ve
fic.on
and
game
design
IDEAS
FOR
EDUCATORS
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22. Thank you for participating
Download longstory at:
http://longstorygame.com