Designers
Designers
Designers
Discarding Situationships
A social card game for daters to understand their intentions and how to communicate them.
Designers
Jessie Batzel
Key Words
SUMMARY
The term “situationship,” coined in 2017 by Carina Hsieh, defines a relationship lacking commitment, clarity, and defined roles. While some people enjoy this ambiguity in relationships, many want more out of their situationship, but their needs and wants don't align with their partners. Due to the illegitimacy of the title, “situationship,” people often feel hesitant to seek support for them, and are left feeling isolated and alone. Discarding Affections is a social card game that encourages players to know what they want, know what they don't want, and know how to communicate it in dating. The game actively forces people to engage with the idea of situationships through their actions and openly talk about them.
challenge
Through my interviews with 15 people who have experienced a situationship, I understand the similar patterns that many face during their situationships. Feelings of open communication and security are low during situationships, and levels of support also dwindle as the situationship gets more intense. There comes a point in the situationship where people stop seeking support and friends stop giving support, and the person is left feeling isolated and alone. I have had similar experiences in my own situationships, and I wanted to find a way to encourage more open communication about situationships, without feelings of shame and guilt.
Outcome
My project ultimately became a social card game in which players are trying to decipher other players’ dating intentions and use actions to convey their own intentions. The game actively forces people to engage with the idea of situationships through their actions and openly talk about them. It also encourages players to really think about how their actions convey their intentions in dating. By better knowing how to convey your intentions and read others’, one is less likely to end up in a situationship where their wants don't align with their partners’.
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