# Aiyo Alice: Making Social Issues Playable

Source: https://anishwij.com/blog/aiyo-alice
Category: Projects
Published: 2024-06-15T00:00:00.000Z
Updated: 2026-10-19T00:00:00.000Z

Creative direction for Aiyo Alice, a Sri Lankan mobile adventure designed to make social learning approachable through play.

Video: [Aiyo Alice project teaser](https://anishwij.com/media/blog/case-studies/aiyo-alice/aiyo-alice-project-teaser.mp4) — Aiyo Alice’s launch trailer — a journey across Sri Lanka through ten mini-games.

Aiyo Alice is a mobile adventure designed to help young Sri Lankans engage with misinformation, discrimination, and hate speech. A brother’s search for his balloon-carried sister connects ten mini-games across the island.

I led creative direction at Motion Miracles, working with the art and development teams for MinorMatters, an NCEASL initiative supported by UNDP. My direction was to earn players’ interest through play, then give them reasons to reflect on what they had experienced.

## Start with play

I set one-finger play as a design goal so people could join in without prior gaming experience. Each mini-game needed an action that was easy to grasp, with very little to learn before taking part.

The world needed to feel just as welcoming. Rounded characters, bright colours, and expressive animation gave the game its playful tone. Local clothing, neighbourhood shops, trains, and tuk-tuks grounded that world in Sri Lanka.

[Nangi · Aiyo Alice](https://labs.anishwij.com/models/aiyo-alice-nangi) — Explore Nangi’s rounded form, waving animation, and facial expressions in full-body or face view.

## Give players a situation to reflect on

The social themes grew out of what happened to the characters. In one sequence, bystanders photograph the brother chasing his sister and mistake him for a kidnapper. Players know why he is running; the bystanders only see an image. That gap gives players a concrete example of how a photograph can mislead when its context disappears.

We gave more detailed learning its own space. After a level, players could choose to open a “Learn More” catalogue, available in Sinhala, Tamil, and English. It explored the issue and possible responses in everyday life. Keeping this optional let the adventure maintain its pace while giving players a way to follow their curiosity beyond the game.

[The camera sequence places the siblings’ story inside a photograph that others misinterpret.](https://anishwij.com/media/projects/aiyo-alice/minigames-shopping-camera-wildlife-v1.jpg)

[The island map connected the mini-games into one journey.](https://anishwij.com/media/projects/aiyo-alice/minigames-city-map-river-v1.jpg)

[A coastal road, railway, and tuk-tuk brought a familiar Sri Lankan setting into the game.](https://anishwij.com/media/projects/aiyo-alice/coastal-tuk-tuk-scene-v1.webp)

[Expression carries the story](https://anishwij.com/media/blog/case-studies/aiyo-alice/ayya-ice-cream-scene.webp)

## Tell the story through expression

We chose to tell the adventure without dialogue. Facial expressions, poses, and timing had to carry the story, reducing its dependence on any one language.

The bullying storyboard centres the experience of the person being targeted and the support another character offers. Body language carries the emotional weight of the encounter. The expression sheets show how that attention to feeling carried into the 3D cast.

[Early cast concepts explored local clothing and character proportions.](https://anishwij.com/media/projects/aiyo-alice/character-cast-concepts-v1.jpg)

[A storyboard explored bullying and support through colour, expression, and gesture.](https://anishwij.com/media/projects/aiyo-alice/bullying-storyboard-concept-v1.jpg)

[Ayya’s model and expression sheet.](https://anishwij.com/media/projects/aiyo-alice/ayya-expression-sheet-v1.jpg)

[Nangi’s model and expression sheet.](https://anishwij.com/media/projects/aiyo-alice/nangi-expression-sheet-v1.jpg)

## Reach and coverage

Aiyo Alice launched in July 2021. By September, it had reached nearly **12,000 downloads across 122 countries**, according to [Roar’s launch coverage](https://archive.roar.media/english/life/history/aiyo-alice-sri-lankan-game-encouraging-positive-social-change?p=96121). MinorMatters also reported store feedback praising its Sri Lankan identity and values that could be shared with children.

[Chanux Bro featured the game](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZT-0MsYW4q4) on his channel. His July 2021 video had passed **100,000 views** by October 2026.

The wider coverage connected the game to its purpose: [The Morning interviewed MinorMatters](https://www.themorning.lk/articles/150968) about learning through play, while [UNDP documented the initiative](https://undpsrilanka.exposure.co/gaming-for-a-better-tomorrow) and its goals for digital citizenship and social cohesion.

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