Unfortunately, these creatures and their habitat are under constant threat from human activity such as the mass exploitation of living subjects, energy development and land reclamation projects, and industrial waste pollution.
Recognising this, four youths – Quek Yew Aun, Edmund Lau, Liew Hui Ling, and Serena Chua – have created “Reef Stakes”, a marine-themed roleplaying card game, in a bid to reach out to a wider audience about the importance of conservation. It is the first game of its kind in Malaysia.
Quek said the idea came about in 2017 while the four – who have spent many years working and volunteering for conservation NGOs – were brainstorming ways to spread awareness about the country’s underwater ecological system in a “fun yet educational” way.
They have since gone on to create three editions of the game, which has attracted interest, attention and accolades locally and internationally.
Quek told FMT that “Reef Stakes” was designed “to stimulate real-life stakeholder relationships while introducing players to some of the beautiful marine species in Malaysia”, as well as “highlighting threats towards coral reefs”.
The game allows players to take on six different roles, each representing a stakeholder: conservationist, developer, natural-resource manager, tourism operator, politician, and fisherman.
To start the game, every player chooses one of the six at random, and each is assigned three specific missions “that correspond to priorities in real life”.
“For example, the missions for the conservationist relate to nature, while those for the tourism operator relate to nature and development,” Quek explained.
As the game goes on, the players have to follow either the nature or development track. To win, they each have to play all three of their mission cards, leading to priorities that will inevitably overlap.
This is where they have to communicate and work with one another, or even engage in sabotage to prevent the advancement of a track. From this, players can learn the importance of each role in protecting marine life.
For first-timers, the “Reef Stakes” website provides a step-by-step guide and detailed information on each of the six roles.
In addition to Malaysia, the game has been played in more than 10 countries, including Germany, Cambodia and Taiwan.
“Since our launch in early 2018, we have distributed more than 500 decks and reached out to more than 4,000 individuals,” Quek revealed, adding that “Reef Stakes” has been used by more than 10 domestic and global NGOs, three local universities, and two dive centres for outreach work in urban and coastal communities.
And in September 2020, “Reef Stakes” went up against nine finalists from around the world to emerge the winner of the 8th International Educational Games Competition in the “non-digital finished games” category.
“This made ‘Reef Stakes’ the first Malaysian card game to receive this prestigious award,” Quek shared proudly.
The team hopes that, through this game, they are able to achieve their goal of spreading more consciousness and understanding about oceanic protection and the environment.
“We cannot be everywhere at once, but we hope this unconventional method represents our small contribution to marine conservation and gives rise to a generation of marine leaders,” Quek added.
‘Reef Stakes’ is priced at RM90 for a deck of cards or RM110 for the full set that includes the cards and playmat. Head on over to Shopee to buy it in English and/or Bahasa Melayu.
For more info, including how to play, visit the game’s website or Instagram profile.