Relish Game Piling Up Award Wins

We’re absolutely thrilled for our partners at The WNET Group to have been awarded a Gold prize at the 2022 International Serious Play Awards for our work together on the “born accessible” web game, Cyberchase Duck Dash!

Duck Dash is a “born accessible” interactive game designed for kids ages 6-8, featuring characters from the animated WNET-produced math and environmental adventure series, Cyberchase, now in its 13th season. “Born accessible” refers to a growing movement that encourages digital content creators to consider the needs and experiences of users with disabilities from the start of a project so accessibility features are “baked into” the project as it is being developed. The accessibility features are included from the initial testing phase and refined as the project develops so that the needs of users with disabilities are met.

As WNET’s games partner on this project, Relish concepted, designed, and developed the game in collaboration with the teams at WNET, PBS KIDS, and Bridge Multimedia. Together, the teams are breaking new ground on how games can be played and who can play them, specifically ensuring children with developmental, cognitive, and physical disabilities are included in game design considerations right from the outset — from concept to execution.

It’s the game’s second award after being named a Webby Honoree in April at the 26th Annual Webby Awards by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences. The game was recognized for ‘Best User Experience, Games’ in setting an industry standard of excellence for user experience with innovative design and user-centric functionality.

The International Serious Play Award program recognizes outstanding examples of titles that deliver a high quality of engagement and learning opportunities for students, employees, or other education or training situations.

In Duck Dash, players explore the math concepts of how to manage, organize, display, and evaluate data using graphs and the science concepts of migration and ecology. The game incorporates accessibility features and universal design practices to support players with physical and cognitive impairments. The game challenges players to use math skills to help a flock of cyberducks migrate to their winter home, Restoria, all while avoiding obstacles, managing their energy, and finding the perfect ponds to stop at along the way. It’s available on PBS KIDS Games app and online here.