Creating a game that strengthens children and young people’s ‘legal capability’
Fortitude is a 5-year research project developed in conjunction with the University of Sheffield Law School and the European Research Council.
The research team awarded us the project in 2023 which involved creating an educational game along with a survey tool which was also gamified.
Working with the research team and groups of children in Sheffield, Leicester and Nottingham over the course of 18 months we developed the game from initial concept to completion. Children and young people were involved in workshops ranging from co-creating the content, to assessing the look and feel, then testing prototypes (from low-fi to fully built versions) and evaluation of the final game.
Four developed the interactive game for desktop and mobile and the game is being rolled out in primary and secondary schools this year. The family friendly game encourages children and young people to learn about their rights building confidence and strengthening legal capability.
The age range for the project was broad and challenging (4-16) and so the content and the look and feel needed careful consideration. It also required a broad technical scope - being free and readily available to children without the need to download from the app store but optimised for a range of device sizes and operating systems. Accessibility was also considered throughout the project and we used voiceover artists to read aloud the audio.
This skeuomorphic game created in 2D features seven levels increasing in complexity. The game encourages autonomy and exploration by presenting players with real word scenarios and challenging situations. It also offered players the opportunity to customise their game space and earn badges. We also added a further feature to encourage repeat gameplay in the “legal training ground’ . This area provides quick fire quizzes and interactive features for more advanced players. The game also features a friendly cat companion called Advocat to accompany you on your legal journey!
