Research began with the problem itself: which age groups are most vulnerable to gambling, and why. Studies pointed to two main drivers, a lack of financial knowledge and the desire to win money. This led to the project's core goal: to make visible how the house always wins more than the gamblers.

A competitive analysis then mapped existing digital tools aimed at people with gambling problems. It revealed that the market was already full of tools built to support or prevent addiction, but all of them targeted the individual who was already addicted. The gap: no engaging tool existed to make the problem visible and critique it, in order to build awareness among young adults before addiction takes hold.

Alongside the market research, a set of discursive and narrative games shaped the game's approach. Each informed a specific design decision from the perspective shift, to the moral weight of every choice, to the idea that storytelling and player agency matter more than visual polish.

Below are the competitive analysis mapping the market gap (left), and the design references that shaped the approach (right):

Low-fi work started on paper, quick hand sketches and physical wireframes to explore the layout and core idea fast, before committing anything to screen. From there, a first low-fidelity sketch in Figma tested the central idea: placing the player in the role of casino supervisor instead of gambler. The goal was to see whether the perspective shift was clear, and whether the game's basic logic communicated without explanation.

The concept was understood, but it clearly needed a storyline, supporting information, and clearer UI elements to stand on its own. Throughout development, new features were first mocked up in Figma (using screenshots from GDevelop) and tested before being fully built, keeping iteration fast and cheap.

Below is the low-fidelity Figma prototype that served as the base for constant testing before the high-fidelity prototype was built:

Six users tested different parts of the game through observation and the think-aloud method. Testing covered four areas:

• Game mechanics: camera switching between gamblers, the alert system, the profit counter
• Information & copy: readability and whether the concept, features, and player role were understood
• Consequences: how clearly the link between a choice and a gambler's situation came across
• Emotional connection: whether players actually felt empathy for the gamblers

Key Findings:

• The concept consistently clicked the moment players made a choice and saw its consequence, but players needed storytelling up front to orient them.
• Labels and buttons were unclear, and the profit number wasn't recognised as the casino's profit.
• The atmosphere worked, players described it as heavy, sad, even unsettling, which matched the intent.
• The hardest gap: players understood the system but didn't feel for the gambler. Adding family photos to the files helped, but one player still felt little, and suggested a phone where the gambler's wife calls asking where he is.

Below is an image of one of the users testing the low-fi prototype:

The first version had only basic interactions: camera switching, simple alerts, a profit box. Testing showed the game needed more depth, a clearer player role, and consequences shown in parallel with the player's choices. This drove the most important features in the final game:

• The Phone When the player keeps a gambler at the table for more profit, the phone rings: "There's no money left for food!" A direct visual link between the player's decision and the gambler's family. (This came straight from a user's suggestion.)
• The reputation meter Added beside the profit counter to show how the house prioritises its image over people's wellbeing. It creates a real tension: maximise profit, or protect reputation. You rarely get both.
• The status bubble An emoji above each gambler showing their emotional state, and how it shifts with every decision.
• Family photos in the files Each gambler shown with their family, which testing confirmed increased the player's emotional connection.

Together, these make the system visible from the inside, the player doesn't get told how gambling addiction is enabled. They cause it.

These features are shown below: