In the aftermath of the 2011 tsunami disaster in Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia, Thai interactive design studio OpenDream has collaborated with UN agency UNESCO in Bangkok to develop and release a mobile game to teach children about flood safety in Thailand.
“In Thailand, people love mobiles, particularly iPhone and Android, so this was the target audience,” said UNESCO Bangkok programme specialist for literacy and lifelong learning Ichiro Miyazawa. “We wanted to make characters in (Sai Fah: The Flood Fighter) cute so people feel an attachment to them.”
Balancing entertainment with education was a challenge, according to the game’s developers. “To integrate learning lessons in a fun interactive way with the player,” said OpenDream’s Sai Fah project manager Nathalie Sajda. “This is what makes the game interesting.”
Sai Fah: The Flood Fighter was released in a Thai version for iOS and Android devices in January, with an overseas edition in English also launched this month.
