Mahjong
Board Game
Authors: Egor Bogomolov, Ruben Movsisian, Daniil Savinskiy, Yulia Tsuglenok
2024
The Mahjong project by KIDZ Studio was timed to coincide with the studio’s 11th anniversary. This time, we wanted to focus on the connection between children and board games: it was important for us to take a complex, classic adult board game and try to reimagine it in a way that would make it interesting for all ages.
↓ classic mahjong
mahjong by kidz ↑
Among the countless number of games, we chose mahjong primarily because of its rich history, and secondly, due to its format: small bone tiles with familiar designs and two game modes — for 1 or 4 players. We were especially intrigued by the idea of making this game accessible to groups of various sizes.
In mahjong, like in card games, there are suits and values for the tiles. The classic game somewhat resembles poker: you need to collect a specific set of tiles to form a combination. The stronger the combination, the higher your chances of winning. Our version of mahjong is built not on competition and gambling, but on concentration and the process of creation.
The mahjong we created is essentially more like a meditative puzzle — each tile is equipped with magnets on all four sides, with an abstract design on the surface. This allows for endless ways to connect the tiles and create new images.
In the process of designing each tile, we aimed to stick to the classic meanings of mahjong, while presenting them in an abstract manner: the numbers are graphic and angular, filling the entire space, and the circles overlap, creating new contours.
As for the material, we chose semi-transparent matte plastic in a square shape. We made a sandwich of three layers, inside which we embedded magnets. These magnets securely connect the mahjong tiles, and the sound of their connection is incredibly soothing.
Our mahjong is a game without rules or restrictions. Thanks to its simple form and abstract designs, everyone can come up with their own rules — either stick to the classics or reinvent them, making the game enjoyable for themselves and their friends.
↓ project team
