Content to raise awareness

It's not the first time that a board game hit the headlines because it tackles important social issues.

Last year, the Chinese version of South Korean role-playing board game Li Zhihui's Survival Game was published by Beijing-based Citic Press Group.

The game features 32 scenarios, from childhood to old age, in which a woman might face sexism or even sexual harassment.

Players have to decide how fictional Li should respond to each scenario and win points by trying their best to keep Li alive. By playing they get to experience real dilemmas that women confront throughout their lives.

"Board games are also a form of artistic expression. As for a good board game, when you really focus on the process of playing, you will be more likely to receive the message that the designer intends to deliver. You will also savor that moment with relish," says Zhao Yongquan, initiator of Dice Con board game convention.

He says Xizi has garnered attention because hers is a novel way to raise public awareness about campus bullying, adding that it's good that she has received both help and encouragement from others.

He points out, however, that the content of a board game is also paramount－whether it's great fun for players, so that the game can fulfill its function. He looks forward to seeing Xizi release her final work at the upcoming convention.

Professor Lin Xiuyun from the faculty of psychology at Beijing Normal University learned about Xizi's board game online, and says it's a more acceptable and efficient way for people to learn about campus bullying, because it's different from traditional methods. Additionally, it can help players learn a lot by playing the role of both the bully and the victim in various scenarios.