UP summa cum laude creates board game to make sex education less taboo

Nyvel told radar the project is rooted in his own childhood, when neither home nor school became the “main avenues” for learning about topics many still considered taboo.

As a communications student, he said two national issues reinforced his desire to address the gaps: the passage of the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health Act in 2012, and the more recent debates surrounding comprehensive sexuality education in the country.

“Kapag pinag-usapan ito, di lamang siya nalilimita sa sexual activity. Kasama ang natural processes ng katawan,” he said. “Ang lack of access [sa information] ay nagdudulot ng concerns, tulad ng teenage pregnancy. Very alarming… If we are knowledgeable enough about how our body works, bababa ang ganoong concerns.”

While researching for his thesis, Nyvel discovered another challenge: the country lacks adequate teaching materials for sex education. Teachers he interviewed shared that lessons are often “too conceptual”: “Madalas definition, di nakakarelate ang mga estudyante.”

That observation shaped Kwentong Katawan, which replaces textbook-style lessons with situational prompts drawn from real-life experiences.

The game also deliberately highlights discussions on consent and harassment—topics Nyvel said are included in the curriculum but rarely translated into classroom materials.

The project was also shaped through collaboration. Senior high school teachers helped develop the prompts, while classmates and friends tested the game and suggested ways to make the questions “more conversational and relatable.”

The response, he said, has been encouraging.

“Very receptive sila. Sobrang open sa mga ganitong usapin. Ito talaga ang goal ng mismong laro, ang mabuksan ang mata ng community,” he said.

Nyvel hopes Kwentong Katawan eventually reaches classrooms across the country.

“Sana mayroong makakita, magustuhan, at magsponsor nito para makapagproduce ng maraming copies nito at madistribute sa maraming eskuwelahan sa buong Pilipinas,” he said.

“Di pa siya fully nai-implement sa classroom with students actually playing them,” he added. “Iyon sana ang tunguhin ng game.”

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