Contemporary product design primarily focuses on fulfilling users’ material needs, with relatively few efforts directed toward incorporating positive or virtuous ideologies. Buddhism is one of the world's major religions and offers profound philosophical insights through its teachings on impermanence, cause and effect, reincarnation and karma. These concepts embody the wisdom of compassion, concentration (samadhi), insight and liberation. This study seeks to integrate Buddhist virtues into the design of a tabletop game, shifting the conventional design emphasis from “competition and self-interest” to “mutual assistance and cooperation.” By employing the principles of karma, along with scenario-guided methods inspired by Buddhist reincarnation, the game offers an alternative approach to game design. Unlike traditional tabletop games, which usually use printed cards, this study uses three-dimensional physical models to increase visual engagement. The game narrative is structured to generate a sense of excitement and urgency, encouraging players to experience the joy of altruism by rescuing sentient beings from the three lower realms of existence: hell-beings, hungry ghosts, and animals. Through repeated gameplay in this interactive format, which is grounded in Buddhist wisdom, players are gradually encouraged to cultivate a virtuous mindset, ultimately promoting the development of compassion.

Authors:
Hung-Cheng Tsai, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan
Sheng-Chen Hung, National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan

About the Presenter(s)
Dr. Hung-Cheng Tsai is currently an Asssociate Professor of Department of Industrial Design at National Kaohsiung University of Science and Technology, Taiwan.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Thursday Schedule

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