Neuromania
A brain-themed board game that transforms cognitive science into a playful, hands-on experience. The game takes players through key mental functions like the five senses, memory, emotion, problem solving, and more. Rather than creating a traditional fact-based trivia game, Neuromania uses abstract icons, sensory zones, and gear-shaped player tokens to reflect how interconnected brain processes move, shift, and influence each other.
Concept & Goals
The initial goal behind this project was to create some sort of product that can be foldable into an origami shape. It soon took off as a passion project monyths later which began more refinedments. Initially the bopard game deisgn was all that was created. Later on began coming up with the storyline and rules.
The Game Board
I then created the game’s cards, chips, and box packaging. After several iterations of the board illustration, I refined it into a final version I was happy with. The game’s aesthetic draws inspiration from retro-futurism, digital surrealism, pop surrealism, 1990s graphic surrealism, and the playful visual language of children’s museums.
Branding & Packaging
For the outer box, I aimed for a balance between visual energy and simplicity. The organic brain illustration wraps the design, creating texture and intrigue, while the logo placement draws attention whether on a store shelf or in an online shop. The front remains semi-minimal to keep the focus on the game itself, while the sides provide a concise description, overview, and basic instructions, enough to inform a quick shopper without overwhelming them.
The box went through multiple shape and size variations, starting with a standard 15.75 x 10.5 inch game box. Before the packaging for that version was completed, I scrapped it in favor of something more unique and modern. That led to an strange idea of packaging the game in a pizza box.
This concept was soon reworked into a smaller, still-square box but more compact and without the “restaurant to-go” feel. The reduced size allowed me to incorporate additional design elements along the sides, as mentioned earlier.
Game Components
Once the board illustration was complete, I moved on to the game’s logistics, starting with the rules and component design. The game went through several iterations, eventually featuring three types of cards mixed into a single deck. The first are color-coded fact cards, each tied to a different part of the brain. For example, red cards relate to the amygdala. The second are “Brain Fog” cards, which function like a “go to jail” card and require the player to skip a turn. The third are trivia cards, drawn when landing on a question-mark space. If the player answers correctly, they draw another card from the deck. If they answer incorrectly, they skip their turn and move to the Brain Fog cloud.
Outcome & Reflection
Neuromania offers an immersive way to explore the human brain, blending educational content with engaging, replayable gameplay and vibrant illustrations. It can be played purely for fun or as a learning experience, with no right or wrong way to enjoy it. What began as a single illustration has evolved into a full board game with defined rules, and it has come a long way since its first concept. I plan to continue developing Neuromania and believe it has the potential to become a real, marketable game. I am actively exploring ways to make that a reality.
