BeeBuds – A cooperative game to learn about flowers during the seasons.
Communication Design Project by:
Erica Liu, Yuchen Su (“Sophie”), Yasmin Gendelevich
Advisors Concept & Prototyping:
Prof. Henrik Rieß, Felix Müller, M.A.,
Advisors Graphic Design
Anc Ciechanowicz, M.A., Illia Boyko, B.A.
Research Question:
How can a board game support social learning for preschool children while introducing the concept of seasons in nature?

'Beebuds' is a cooperative hybrid-media board game that supports social learning for preschool children while introducing basic ecological systems thinking.
Set in a garden ecosystem, two players assume the role of bees and coordinate their actions to collect ten flowers from across four seasons before spring returns. In parallel, a competing ladybug team advances toward the same collection goal, creating a dual pressure of collaboration under time and rivalry constraints.
Seasonal transitions reorganize the board state and landscape conditions, making processes such as blooming, dormancy, and recurrence legible as a simplified life cycle. Players must negotiate, coordinate, and adapt strategies while linking social interaction to an elementary model of co-existence in nature.
'BeeBuds' will exhibited at Berlin Design Week 2026.
See all ‘Let the Play begin’ Projects
See all ‘Punk & Participation’ Projects
Contact:
Prof. Henrik Rieß
Interaction Design and Visual Communication
Berlin International
University of Applied Sciences
Salzufer 6, 10587 Berlin, Germany
Tel: +49 30 81 05 80 80
E-Mail: riess[🎈]berlin-international.de
Social Media:
