UPLB student creates board game to make sex ed conversations easier for young people

A student from the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB) developed an educational board game that aims to make discussions on sex education more open, interactive, and accessible for young people.

Nyvel C. Villanueva, a BA Communication Arts major in Speech Communication student who is graduating as summa cum laude and class valedictorian of the program, created “Kwentong Katawan” as part of his undergraduate thesis for 2026.

The board game was designed as a communication tool to help teachers address the challenges of teaching sex education, especially topics that remain sensitive or taboo in classrooms and households.

Villanueva told GMA News Online that the idea came from his own experience growing up and feeling uncomfortable asking questions about natural processes involving the body because these topics were often considered inappropriate to discuss.

“Ang Kwentong Katawan ay isang educational board game at communication tool na tungkol sa sex education upang magsilbing pantulong sa mga teachers na nahihirapan ituro ang mga concepts nito dahil sa pagiging taboo ng mga topics dito,” he explained.

The project was also shaped through collaboration with teachers, with the content, rules, mechanics, and design of the game developed through discussions with educators who experience firsthand the difficulties of teaching sex education.

How it works

Photo: Nyvel C. Villanueva

In the game, players use a board, character pieces, and color-coded question cards representing different areas of sex education.

Yellow cards cover basic concepts, green cards tackle myths, blue cards focus on contraceptives, orange cards discuss harassment, and red cards center on consent.

Players move across the board by answering questions based on the tiles they land on, with correct or incorrect answers affecting their progress toward the finish line.

The game also includes power-up cards and special tiles that can provide rewards or penalties, adding a competitive element to the learning experience.

Game-based approach for 'taboo' topics

Photo: Nyvel C. Villanueva

Villanueva said one of the challenges teachers shared with him was that sex education lessons are often too focused on concepts, terms, and definitions. To address this, the questions in “Kwentong Katawan” use real-life situations to help players understand how these ideas apply in everyday life.

For Villanueva, creating new ways to discuss sex education is important because the lack of knowledge among young people about their bodies and related topics remains a concern in the Philippines.

“Given na sensitive o taboo 'yung topics ng sex education sa bansa, mas higit na kinakailangan ng pantulong para masigurado na madi-deliver pa rin yung mga mahahalagang information na binibigay ng curriculum,” he said.

Through a game-based approach, Villanueva hopes “Kwentong Katawan” can help create a more comfortable space where conversations about sex education become less intimidating and more like an open discussion.

“In a way, 'yung pagkatuto ng sex education na taboo at may discomfort ay nagiging as basic as pakikipagkwentuhan,” he said. —JCB, GMA News