Truth or Bite

Card game project-ECUAD

Date: 2025.7-2026.12

Location: Beijing, China

Designer: Emily Liu

Overview

*A card game that transforms the social pain point of "food fraud" into an interactive game strategy.*

Against the backdrop of a market intertwined with food safety risks and information pollution, players take on different social roles (such as journalists and scholars) and engage in a game of wits with limited resources and information of dubious veracity. The core challenge of the game lies in accumulating the highest social credit by discerning the truth before depleting one's health points through precise resource management and risk assessment.

WHY- THE PROBLEM

Originated from a social phenomenon

——Many bars in China have a problem with the proliferation of counterfeit alcohol. Counterfeit alcohol is widespread in Chinese bars, harming consumers’ health and money, yet often ignored—even knowingly accepted.

In order to obtain more specific data and understand the public's mind, a questionnaire was conducted and the answers of 27 people were collected and analyzed.

Problem Define

Scenario Analysis

Risks：
- Health threats
- Food sources are unclear,
- Information asymmetry: Consumers don't question food sources due to trust in friends or social pressure.
Participants:
Users often have a certain level of trust in the streamers.
Some are new users who temporarily enter the livestream room and are attracted by the activity.
Food and Drinks:
False labeling; false origin; falsified ingredients; repackaging and selling expired or near-expiry food
Participants:
- Young Customers/Party Goers
  Bartenders/Waiters
  Club Managers/Store Managers
Food and Drinks:
· Adulterated alcoholic beverages
· Blended beverages
False labeling
· Disguised as bringing your own beverages
Participants:
- Office workers, students, housewives, and the elderly
  Supermarket clerks/promoters
  Counterfeit suppliers/wholesalers
Food and Drinks:
Falsified organic certification/import labels; misleading production dates; misleading packaging terms; (visual deception)

Scenario Selection
Restaurants, bars, and supermarkets are the three most common settings for consumers and where food fraud cases are most common.

APP

Diverse scenarios & characters → stronger immersion
Flexible rules → mix of education & entertainment
Relatively low cost → easy to create physically

WHAT- DESIGN GOALS

Create learning environments
Awaken awareness of rights protection
Transfer knowledge

This tabletop card game transforms real-world pain points of food fraud into an interactive, strategy-driven experience.

HOW- PROCESS

Character card design

Six social archetypes, each with its own unique abilities, subtly reflect the psychological and behavioral differences of various groups, adding strategic depth and interest.

Little Girl Lawyer Athlete Influencer Retired Woman Collage Student

Internet Celebrity →
Represents social influence, reinforcing the reality that exposing rights can amplify outcomes.
Retired Woman →
Symbolizes life wisdom, using money-saving tips to manage risk.
College Student →
Busy and vulnerable young people, who can only recover through rest.

Little Girl →
Symbolizes vulnerability and protectiveness, reminding players that some people are more vulnerable to being victims.
Lawyer →
The power of legal channels, but also the complexity and challenges of luck.
Athlete →
Highly health-conscious, demonstrating a positive and disciplined lifestyle.

Value System

Action Points:

Limiting the frequency of player actions emphasizes strategy and reflects the "time and cost of choice."
Players must balance risk and opportunity, prompting deeper thinking.

Health Points

This game addresses the real-life impact of food safety on health, reinforcing the theme of "the dangers of food fraud."
Players are encouraged to carefully select and test ingredients to avoid excessive risk-taking.

Credits

This credits reflects players' "increased knowledge and improved judgment," echoing the consumer awareness theme discussed in the research section.

Money

More money allows for more experimentation, but it can also lead to greed and risk.