Hoverboards and helicopters; cable cars and canoes: no mode of transport is off the table with Platform Rail’s new competitive ‘Transport Takeover’ card game, which strives to shine a spotlight on sustainability.
In early 2023, members of the Platform Rail team started developing the idea for a new card game which would explore the different factors one could – and should – consider when making choices around travel. Their aim was to create a game that drew on aspects of the interactive workshops Platform delivers, tying these aspects together in an accessible, fun, pocket-sized (for ease of travel!) game.
Thanks to funding from the Community Rail Development Fund, the team set about planning the categories, determining scores, designing game cards, commissioning icons, and pulling together a first draft of the game.
In late November, the first draft was put to the test during an evening of games with children aged eight to 12, with their feedback allowing the team to make final amendments to the cards, before sending them off to be printed.
The official Transport Takeover launch took place in December, when Platform took a group of 60 Year 7 students on a train trip from Bristol to Severn Beach. The pupils put the learning from their pre-travel workshop into practice on the train, and upon arrival they helped launch the game in style with lots of play, even being tasked with designing a 43rd card – a mode of transport for Santa!
Some of the stand-out comments from students following the launch included:
“It made me think about transport and what it does to the world.”
“I loved being creative and expressing my ideas.”
“The thing that’s good about it is that I got to learn about the sustainability of the different types of transport. There were lots of different categories like cost, safety, and passengers too. I like learning about these things.”
Imogen Sackett, Senior Learning Development Officer at Platform, said: “It was brilliant to work collaboratively on this game and I am so thrilled with the final version. The students loved the game, and produced an impressive range of card designs that showed consideration of all topics covered on the cards, as well as imagination and creativity.
“At Platform, we are keen to empower young people with the knowledge to make healthy, sustainable choices, and these cards allow us to do just that.
“We want to say a huge thank you to Caroline Dalcq for the icon design, Matt Magovern from Typecraft for prompt and perfect printing, to the staff and students at Oasis Temple Quarter for being involved in the launch, GWR for free travel for rail education and Community Rail Network who funded the project.”
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