In June 2020, we held our first pilot session of our game ”Empathy Land” at the Vereniging De Gooische School in Laren, Netherlands! Participants were 22 students of Groep 7, ages 10-11 years old. The study group was the first one to play ”Empathy Land” in-class. The gameplay was followed by a classroom discussion to amplify, share and review the lessons learned. The discussion was informal, with students’ comfortably discussing differences, similarities, and their feelings regarding cultural related topics openly. We were happy to hear that ”Empathy Land” received positive feedback from the students and the teacher. Multiple students mentioned that “it is fun because you can learn something about other people and their families”. With the help of their feedback, we could greatly refine and improve ”Empathy Land”!
“You can learn something from the game because we are not all the same.” – Eva, age 10
