Client: Yakult is the world's leading probiotic beverage created in Japan in 1935. Today, Yakult is sold in 40 countries and regions around the world.

Challenge: How can we incorporate educational games in the factory to both entertain and educate young visitors about making healthy choices to maintain a healthy gut?

Goals

- Develop an immersive and captivating educational game set up in the factory's education room and as part of factory tours, aiming to entertain and educate young visitors about the importance of healthy dietary choices in maintaining a healthy gut.

- Create an interactive and enjoyable educational gaming experience that enhances the factory tour, providing young visitors with a fun and memorable way to learn about how their food choices can impact their gut health.

Solution: The process of creating the educational game began by understanding the client's objectives for educating children. We collaborated closely with the client to determine the key educational messages they wanted to convey. Simultaneously, we strived to conceive an engaging and fun concept that would effectively impart these lessons. Budget constraints and the available technology played significant roles in shaping our approach.

Working in partnership with the brand team, we designed the game with a focus on both entertainment and education. Various game elements were strategically incorporated, including time pressure, feedback mechanisms, narration, and a points system, all aimed at enhancing the educational experience for the children.

Regarding technology, the client's education room was equipped with a whiteboard and projector. We opted to utilise these existing resources for the activation, ensuring a cost-effective and seamless integration of the game.

In terms of creative assets, we developed unique characters while also leveraging some of the brand's pre-existing characters to enhance familiarity and engagement. In the game, a variety of characters, including beneficial bacteria, potentially harmful bacteria, the Yakult bottle, the LcS man, various food items (such as vegetables and fruits), and a human character, were incorporated.

The game itself involved a short educational animation about gut health, serving as a prelude to the interactive experience. Young visitors had the opportunity to actively participate by using their hands or throwing balls to increase the population of beneficial bacteria within the intestines, earning points in the process. A clever twist was introduced whereby hitting Yakult bottles led to a multiplication of beneficial bacteria, resulting in more substantial points.

An animated face positioned at the top of the screen was utilised to provide tailored feedback based on how players interacted with the game and earned points. In addition, Milk's branding items, including their logo and colour palette, were seamlessly integrated to maintain consistency with the brand's marketing campaigns and activations.

The game was designed to be engaging yet time-efficient, lasting for a duration of one minute. At the conclusion of each round, players could view their points displayed on the screen, with an option to tap and play again, encouraging friendly competition and record-breaking attempts. Furthermore, the setup accommodated multiple players, allowing for a dynamic and social gaming experience.