Lego and UNICEF launch game design toolkit to help promote children’s wellbeing in digital play

Lego and UNICEF have published a set of design guidelines aimed at game developers to better promote children’s wellbeing during digital play.

The Responsible Innovation in Technology for Kids (RITEC) toolkit is aimed at game designers, with the ultimate goal of providing “practical tools for creating digital experiences that actively promote thoughtful experiences of well-being.”

RITEC is a research project co-founded by the Lego Group and UNICEF that involved more than 780 children from 18 countries and demonstrated that digital play can have a positive impact on a child’s well-being. The research was carried out in partnership with Western Sydney University, the University of Sheffield, New York University, the City University of New York and the Queensland University of Technology.

“If designed well, games can help children regulate their emotions, feel connected to others, and find joy.”

The RITEC toolbox includes, among other things, guidelines for designing games focused on the eight “well-being outcomes” that children can obtain from digital play: autonomy, competence, emotional regulation, relationships, creativity, identities, diversity, equity and inclusion, and security. & security.

Known as the RITEC-8 framework, it was designed in partnership with more than 35 gaming companies from 15 countries.

“Designing for well-being is about allowing children to experience a sense of control, have freedom of choice, and experience mastery and feelings of achievement,” the announcement noted. “If designed well, games can also help children regulate their emotions, feel connected to others, and enjoy creating and exploring, as well as acting on new ideas. These types of experiences are vital for children’s well-being and they can even support its development.”

RITEC’s design toolbox also includes “an executive brief that highlights the business case for designing for well-being” and “a shared vocabulary for game designers to discuss children’s well-being needs and desires, as well as online gaming features to promote it. inter alia.

These resources are free and can be found on the UNICEF website.