IMC Toys launches Stop the virus, a board game for children aged 8 and over, with the aim of helping parents and teachers to better explain the pandemic, its consequences and the hygiene habits that we need to integrate into our daily lives. The game, which is presented from a fun point of view, can serve as a tool to help children de-dramatize the complex situation in which we find ourselves, helping to alleviate the emotional consequences they may suffer.
In Stop the virus, the winner is who is immunized against the 4 different viruses that the game proposes. As in real life, we can get infected at school, on public transport, in the supermarket or in the hospital, if you do not have the appropriate protections (masks, gloves and hydroalcoholic gel) that each player has. The game proposes rules such as that 2 players cannot coincide in the same square to maintain a safe distance, helping children to internalize these hygiene and safety measures.
Psychological effects of the pandemic on children
According to research* carried out recently, 87.7% of parents have perceived changes in the emotional state of their children during confinement, presenting symptoms such as concentration difficulties (76.6%), lack of interest (52%), irritability (39 %), restlessness (38.8%) or nervousness (38%).
Thus, as Silvia Álava, a child psychologist, affirms, “the high levels of uncertainty and stress that we are experiencing can cause children negative – natural responses when we perceive a situation as potentially dangerous. Thus, they can show anxiety, post-traumatic stress and depression, which occurs with symptoms such as clinging more than usual to their reference figures, feeling anxious, withdrawn, angry, agitated, having nightmares, manifesting frequent mood swings, lack of interest in school, outbursts of anger, constant worry, fears, or recurring ideas”
Stop the virus: The game the best medicine for children
For this reason, parents and teachers must take action and not wait to see alarm signs in the emotional health of children, activating mechanisms that give them security and confidence. The game can be a very interesting tool for this, since through play, children learn to recognize emotions, to understand their feelings, to regulate themselves emotionally or to acquire basic social skills.
“In fact, in this situation – continues the psychologist Silvia Álava – it is very interesting to pay attention to the children’s play, since many times through play they show us emotions that they have not been able to verbalize. In addition, play allows the creation of a relaxed atmosphere to talk about how we feel about the pandemic. But most of all, the game causes fun and laughter, which is an emotional relief for children. The fact that parents or friends spend time with them playing is one of the better medicines for children.”
In this way, Stop the virus serves as an ally for them to express how they feel in the face of the coronavirus pandemic, to de-dramatize, and to work on their fears and insecurities. The game also helps us dispel myths about the coronavirus or misconceptions about how to prevent the virus, always from a fun and playful perspective.
IMC Toys Solidarity
With this idea, IMC Toys has donated the Stop the virus game to 100 public schools in the areas most affected by the pandemic, to serve as teaching material for teachers, to help students maintain good hygiene habits and to express how they feel.
A game developed in record time
Normally, in the toy industry, the process of creating a game takes 1 and a half years, but in the case of Stop the virus, IMC Toys has put this board game on sale, unique in the market, in as little as only 2 and a half months, thus responding to a social need. 10 professionals from different disciplines, such as the innovation team, the marketing department, as well as an industrial designer, a graphic designer and an engineer, have participated in its creation.
According to Roger Rubió, responsible for the game’s creation process, “the most difficult thing has not been working against the clock, nor in a situation to which we were still adapting due to the pandemic, but finding the right tone for the game. The mechanics of the game game and their communication had to be fun but not mocking, since we are dealing with a serious and delicate subject in which it was important to be very respectful and responsible”
“We started with a much more aggressive idea – continues Rubió – which, little by little, evolved to bring it closer to children and always maintain a high degree of fun, which in the end is what we work for, so that children have fun well and, in this case, with an even more important component, to help them de-dramatize and get over this bad time we are all immersed in. We consider ourselves a very brave company, for having addressed this issue, with a great capacity for innovation, and great flexibility, which has made it possible to create Stop the virus in record time”
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