TimeBank THE GAME
Institution The Urbanism\Architecture Bi-City Biennale (UABB) of Shenzhen & Hong Kong
Format Alternative reality game, performative installation, game salons, AI film
Year 2022
Location Hong Kong
Led by Amy Cheung
Funded by The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Hong Kong
Cultural Treatment Gamify Verb for Wellbeing
TimeBank THE GAME functioned as a six-week alternative reality cultural intervention—an experimental use of serious gaming (Zyda, 2005) to re-engage youth through creative, goal-driven experiences anchored in environmental repair. Drawing on Hope Theory (Snyder, 2002), which centers on agency and pathways thinking, the game offered young people actionable missions through which they could achieve and collectively experience small but meaningful change.
Players were thrown into alternate realities — online simulations of environmental crises, while completing hands-on tasks in real-life to progress—such as bread-saving, solar lamp making, ocean cleaning, and transforming fallen trees into functional furniture. These actions were incentivized with TimeCoins, promoting experiential learning and a sense of agency—core to Hope Theory and embodied in the game's mechanic and reward system.
Four winners each received $10,000 to launch their own environmental projects. THE GAME demonstrates the potential of serious gaming as a novel treatment model for youth mental health, showcasing how interdisciplinary innovation can foster learned hopefulness (Tomasulo, 2020) and strengthen social-psychological well-being.
Diagnosis Game Over for a Disempowered Generation?
A meta-analysis in The Lancet Psychiatry (Racine et al., 2021) revealed that during COVID-19, rates of youth depression and anxiety doubled globally—affecting 1 in 4 and 1 in 5 young people, respectively. This surge exposed an escalating mental health crisis, further intensified in Hong Kong by the compounded stress of social unrest and the pandemic.
THE GAME was conceptualized in response to a widespread sense of helplessness and disengagement among youth.
Game Salons & Nature Based Experiences
Game Awards
Film Awards
Reference:
Bowlby, J. (1988). A Secure Base: Parent-Child Attachment and Healthy Human Development. New York: Basic Books.
Michael, D., & Chen, S. (2005). Serious Games: Games That Educate, Train, and Inform. Muska & Lipman/Premier-Trade.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68-78.
Tomasulo, D. J. (2020). Learned hopefulness : the power of positivity to overcome depression. New Harbinger Publications.
Snyder, C. R. (2002). Hope theory: Rainbows in the mind. Psychological Inquiry, 13(4), 249-275. • Zyda, M. (2005). From visual simulation to virtual reality to games. Computer, 38(9), 25-32.
Collaborators for the film: TimeBank THE GAME - The Record of an Experiment (2024)
Directed by Amy Cheung
Written and Produced by Amy Cheung & Wing Yan Ng
Cinematographer, AI motions designed and edited by Jeff Yiu
AI collaborators - MidJourney, Dalle-E, ChatGPT, Runway, Murf, Elevenlabs
AI voices, visual effects prompted and generated by Amy Cheung & Jeff Yiu
Unity 3D Effects by Erkka Nissinen
3D Game Design and Developed by Shence Mao
Game Design supported by Dr Jussi Holopainen
Thanks to all our collaborators: (Order of Appearance)
Kid’s Voices: Yona, Oliver, Arno, Grace, Cleo, Ella, Players ID052: Infimity, Breadline: Dr. Daisy Tam, Lab0ver: Timmy, Iron: Tin Shiu Wai Community Network, V’air Hong Kong: Gabriel and Syvlia,
CarbonCare InnoLab: Kelly, Integrated Brilliant Education: Manoj Dhar, The Nature Conservancy: Anniqa Law, , The City University of Hong Kong: Dr Jay Minuti, Joy Cow: Philip, Lantau Culture Workshop: Siu Yin & Samuel, R-FARM-HK: John Tang, Christophe Barthelemy, Carbon Diet Web Application Developer: Sam Lam & Janice Tong @OriginBit Limited
Carbon Diet App Content Consultant: Dr Karen Mak, UI/UX and graphic Designer: Alice Tsang @yucolab, Social Media Campaign: Ray Chan, Live Performance Director: Andrew Chan, Set Designer: Cheung Lik Hang, 3D Lion Sculptor: Ho Yuen Leung
Our game had been built upon their inspirational input:
Prof. Juha Merila, Dr Tat Lam, Dr Bente Castro Campos, Dr Benoit Guénard, Dr Shelby Mcilroy, Prof. Laurent Gutierrez, Dr Alissa Tung, Prof. Ng Mee Kam, Dr Mo Kar Him, Dr Li Hong Ting, Yeung Chun Yin, Dr Paula Owen, Dr Winnie Yee, Dr. Ray LC, Rolinka Kattouw, Rachel Owusu, Venerable Chang Zhan, Lam Chiu Ying, Harvey Chung, Anna Yen, Cherry Lee, Hok Lai Au, Andrew Chan, Chak Chan, Kai Lok Cheng, Hin Kuen Kwong, Ka Lok Kwong, Cheuk Ming Lam, Sandy Lam, Suet Wa Leung, Lok Hin Tam, Ho Yee Tang, Tara Tang, Siu Hang Tang, Tsz Fung Wan, Natalie Chung, Toby Lau.
Grateful for the following institutional support:
The Faculty of Science, HKU | HK Biodiversity Museum, HKU | Department of Architecture, HKU | Urban Studies Program, CUHK | School of Creative Media, City University
The Nature Conservancy | Next Nature Network | Justus Liebig University Giessen | Corrupt the Youth | HKFoodWorks | R-FARM-HK | Lantau Culture Workshop | Community Living Room | Y.Park