Setting the Stage
In March 2020, COVID-19 changed the world. Seniors, one of the most impacted groups by the pandemic, needed a new way to socialise. In this article, we’ll discuss how and why the need for a new bridge app emerged.
As the world moved online in reaction to the pandemic, the elderly were especially vulnerable. Not only are they more at-risk from the virus, but due to the way they lead their lives, the forced transition to the online world has been especially challenging for the least online demographic.
One avenue for socialisation that many seniors employed pre-2020 was going to play bridge in person. Honestly, before this year, I had thought that grandparents playing bridge was a running joke. But, when I discussed bridge with my own grandparents, they surprised me by telling me that not only did they play regularly, it was a major avenue through which they caught up with their friends and community.
That connection to the community was severed in March 2020, and this isolation has led to increased concerns about mental health of the elderly. This was the world we were thrust into when we were contacted by an organisation seeking to supplement the social lives of these bridge players by creating an intuitive, friendly and community focused online bridge app.
Other online bridge apps existed before this year, of course, but many of them ran into the same problems. They were designed by people who had experience with card games like Poker, where the point was to get online and play the game, and win. Social bridge players don’t go to their club to play bridge – they go to their club to talk and catch up with other players. Almost all the other platforms failed to realise this, and had designed their platforms falling into the same pitfalls.
Designing a Different Experience
gameplay like the social event that it is.
So, with Real Deal Bridge, we made a number of intentional design decisions to ensure that our platform was different.
There is no random matchmaking in Real Deal Bridge. You play with and against your club, people that you know in real life, or friends of friends.
- Text and voice chat are included as standard, across all platforms. You should be able to get an authentic experience of relaxing and socialising.
- The game is structured around organised ‘sessions’, rather than individual games. You join a club, and take part in scheduled play, rather than joining to play a random game.
- Real Deal Bridge allows club organisers and application administrators to easily respond to help requests, ensuring that every player is able to get support in setting up, joining and playing their games.
- Players can easily find the game online, without needing to download an application. It’s also available on every app store, if you’d prefer to download it.
With design goals like these in mind, we have seen Real Deal Bridge get off to a smashing success since it’s public launch a few months ago. Over 2,000 players have already signed up to the bridge app, and it’s still growing at an incredible pace.
We’re yet to see how the world will look when COVID is no longer a concern, but by building platforms like Real Deal Bridge, we are happy that No Moss Studios is able to help players from across the world adapt to this new digital landscape.
We hope you enjoyed reading this! Have a question or want to chat more about game development? Reach out to us!
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