Challenge

Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) happens when bacteria no longer respond to medication, making infections harder or even impossible to cure. How can we engage with this urgent global issue?

Action

To learn more about AMR, we developed Ferment Stories, a card game in which players embody different characters entangled in the global issue of Antimicrobial Resistance

There are two major teams: Citizens and Corporates. The Citizens’ goal is to stay healthy and become aware of the advantages and disadvantages of antibiotics. The Corporates’ goal is to hide their identity and pass as Citizens to manipulate people and encourage consumption. Ferment Stories is played in repetitive phases of day and night. At night, the Corporates eliminate the players that can be a threat. In the day, everyone discusses who the Corporates might be. At the end of each day, a suspicious player is put on quarantine. The game comes to an end when all the players of either team are eliminated.

It works!

By gamifying this learning process, Ferment Stories engages players in understanding the complexities of AMR, including the misuse and overuse of antibiotics and the evolution of resistant strains. Through a strategic game play, we learn about the importance of antibiotic stewardship, infection prevention, and the role of microbiology in combating AMR.