Game of Choice, Not Chance: Formative Research Report

The target population for the game is young men and women, aged 15-19, in low-income and low-resource settings of Hindi and Hindi-dialect speaking Northern Indian regions of Bihar, Delhi, and Rajasthan. The platform provides an entertaining and safe space for exploration, discovery, and learning through interactive role-play. The Boys' Discovery Research Phase has gathered information and insights on the lives, relationships, aspirations, gaming behaviors, and family planning and reproductive health needs and challenges of boys in the age group of 15-19 years in the cities of Patna, Delhi, and Rajasthan. Using a blended model of data collection, the Vihara research team, with support from Howard Delafield International, FHI 360's R4S group, and USAID, has conducted remote and in-person research activities to gather layered, in-depth insights into the lives and worlds of young men in Hindi-speaking regions of North India. The research report is a culmination of the data collection efforts, the analysis of research findings, and the collaborative insights from a sensemaking workshop facilitated by Vihara involving the GoC consortium. The report is divided into three parts: Project and Research Outline, Context, Findings, and Insights, and Building a Game for Young Men. The Project and Research Outline provides an overview of the project, including the research design, data collection methods, and analysis processes. It also presents an overview of the sample, sites, and data collection methods. The Context, Findings, and Insights section sets the daily life contexts of the target demographic, discussing their socio-cultural contexts, daily lives, mobile phone usage patterns, and gaming habits. The report highlights some of the challenges, motivations, and aspirations of young men, as well as their circles of trust, family planning and reproductive health journeys, and ideas on love, sex, and relationships. Aggregated user journeys that showcase boys' reproductive health experiences and locate their response within their environments and contexts have been included in this section. The Building a Game for Young Men section provides insights and frameworks that can be used as learnings and inspiration for game design. It includes user segments or typologies, highlights key conflicts, beliefs, and values, and provides an overview of possible player types. The report also links to detailed libraries of narrative, visual, and linguistic documentation. The research team interacted with young men, their family members, and adolescent health and gaming experts to understand the target group's socio-cultural contexts, daily lives, mobile phone usage patterns, and gaming habits. The findings reported herein can be used by learning and evaluation teams, game design, prototyping and development teams, as well as marketing and partnerships teams to develop individual strategies that align with the prevailing sentiments and needs presented by boys. The report is a culmination of data collected between January 2021 and May 2021, and presents a brief overview of secondary research and primary research findings and interpretations. The research team used a blended model of data collection, including remote and in-person research activities, to gather layered, in-depth insights into the lives and worlds of young men in Hindi-speaking regions of North India. The report highlights the importance of understanding the socio-cultural contexts, daily lives, mobile phone usage patterns, and gaming habits of young men in order to develop effective strategies for supporting their reproductive health and well-being. The report also emphasizes the need for a safe and entertaining space for exploration, discovery, and learning through interactive role-play, which is provided by the Game of Choice, Not Chance platform. The report provides a comprehensive overview of the research findings and insights, and highlights the potential for the Game of Choice, Not Chance platform to support young men in becoming active decision-makers in their own lives. The report also emphasizes the importance of collaboration and sensemaking among stakeholders to develop effective strategies for supporting the reproductive health and well-being of young men. The report is a valuable resource for learning and evaluation teams, game design, prototyping and development teams, as well as marketing and partnerships teams, and can be used to develop individual strategies that align with the prevailing sentiments and needs presented by boys. The report also provides a framework for understanding the socio-cultural contexts, daily lives, mobile phone usage patterns, and gaming habits of young men, and highlights the potential for the Game of Choice, Not Chance platform to support their reproductive health and well-being.