With the virus fast spreading and death rates on the rise in the November of 2020, the Nigerian government declared a lockdown closing nightclubs, bars, parks, malls and all the places Nigerians typically go to have fun.

This became the second lockdown of the year and Nigerians being ever religious, there was a collective belief that 2020 was a doomed year they could not wait to see the end of.

The brief for us was to use our typical Christmas card to do more than just wish our clients well, but to create something meaningful especially given the kind of year 2020 was.

Christmas cards have traditionally been the go-to solution to appreciate clients and remind potential ones of the services we offer.

But with 2020 being a highly unusual year and the new COVID restrictions in Nigeria all but ensuring families were stuck at home during Yuletide, the brief was to create something special that reflected the times, showed our creativity and connected with clients on a more personal level.

So, instead of sending a card to our target, we created a board-game called ESCAPE 2020 which simulates the major events of year 2020 into a fun and adventurous experience for the family.

The game contains exactly 365 blocks and all the months of the year, it features most of the major events of year 2020; everything from lockdowns, BLM protests, Beirut blast, the local but globally relevant #ENDSARZ movement, down to wildfires.

Each event is also made to correspond with the exact timeline of the year in which they happened. In playing the game, these events serve as potential obstacles or assets to be manoeuvred or leveraged.

Other assets of the game includes:

DECK OF CARDS: This can be weaponized against opponents or used to escape danger.

EMOJI TILES: Used by players to move through the days (blocks) of the year.

TWO CUBES OF DICE: Used to determine the distance the players can go per round

RULEBOOK: Explaining the game for first-timers.

The game was warmly received by our clients. We even held a successful social media trivia giveaway of the board-game. Many recipients posted pictures and videos of them playing the game with friends and family on social media. There were also many positive comments suggesting that our company produce the game for commercial purposes.