SECRET STORY, SOCIAL INCLUSION PLATFORM

I programmed Secret Story in C# and led its overall game design, developing it as a digital board game aimed at fostering social inclusion for elders experiencing isolation. Designed to encourage storytelling and meaningful connection, the project blended accessible mechanics with thoughtful interaction design. The game received multiple awards at Sheridan College in recognition of its social impact.

My Roles: engineer (c#, Unity Engine), Game Designer

Team Size: 3

Duration: 6-months (contraCT)

VISIT COLLEGE BLOG
This is what the core gameplay screen looks like. "Hiders" hide their secret in the environment. Once the "secret story" is found by other players, the "Hiders" must share their story!

  • Users hide a story about themselves in the environment and when another player finds it, a conversation begins.

  • Designing a digital board game that felt intuitive and non-technical for seniors was a key challenge.

  • Through user testing with seniors across several popular applications, we found that simple tap interactions on an iPad were the most accessible and effective input method.

For our Alpha build, we had two playable stages in the game

  • A stage select HUB allowed users to experience different settings and item sets to hide and share their stories

This is 1 / 120 different questions that can be discovered! 

  • Developed a curated set of 120 conversation prompts designed to spark meaningful dialogue and connection among older adults.