The emotions of the gorilla. Game design at the service of the school

It is established by numerous studies that the use of gaming techniques, borrowed from board games or video games, in educational environments such as schools significantly increases the level of involvement and motivation of students. From this premise comes the project Le emozioni del Gorilla created by the Oliver Twist School in Como with the support of Luca Fois, Cristian Confalonieri and Studiolabo.



A board game designed for classes (up to 28 players) aged 10 and up, which aims to get children talking about emotions and getting to know each other better. To find out more, we put a few questions to Giovanni Figini, president of the Oliver Twist School.

What is Cometa and how is the Oliver Twist School of Cometa conceived?
Cometa was born in Como from a personal story of the Figini family, who more than thirty years ago decided to open the doors of their home to welcome, in a very unexpected way, a child. From an opportunity of such great good was born Cometa, a place founded on beauty, welcome and the recognition of needs and desires that express the uniqueness of the person. A daily commitment to the education and training of minors and support for their families, often in a state of economic and social marginality.

Today, more than 1,300 children and young people, parents, educators, teachers, entrepreneurs, professionals have accepted the challenge of fostering an inclusive education, made of excellence and passion for reality and man in his entirety.

Why did you decide to make a board game? 
The creation of a board game stems from Cometa's ‘Artigiani di Futuro’ (Artisans of the Future) project, in collaboration with the Fondazione Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, which promotes entrepreneurship and craftsmanship among the students of the vocational courses and the entrepreneurial design high school of the Oliver Twist school in Como. Since its foundation, Cometa has been training young people through experience, considered a true learning tool that allows students to learn and discover by doing. The creation of the game ‘The Gorilla's Emotions’, conceived as a teaching tool, goes beyond the realisation of a simple game, as it guided the youngsters in a process of self-knowledge and in the acquisition of the necessary planning and design methods to arrive at the final product.

How was the game development experience? 
The development of the game made it possible for the students to get involved, allowing them both to learn to believe in themselves and to discover which themes were closest to their hearts. 
The different moments of the game's design represented an opportunity to accompany the students through an educational approach capable of guiding them towards the recognition of their own creative uniqueness and the realisation that their own desires are functional to imagining and re-imagining their own life project as well, and therefore with an orientation purpose.

Who is it addressed to and how can you request a copy? 
Le emozioni del gorilla, with its cross-cutting theme of emotions, is aimed at all secondary schools with a focus on middle and high schools and is designed for students, teachers, tutors, guidance counsellors, but also psychologists and educators. Being a quick and intuitive game, it can really be a product for everyone.