“Dedicated” patients and staff have been praised for developing and producing a brand new board game which took them three years to create.

ERUPTION! is based around different characters who have unique skills and was created by the ASD Project Group. The aim is to be the first person to escape an abandoned island.

Suitable for between two and four players, the game’s characters need to use the items they find to overcome the obstacles that the island throws in their way, whilst avoiding the deadly streams of lava that creep steadily across their path.

The whole project began life on scraps of paper on a table, when patients and staff scribbled down some of their ideas. Gradually, it evolved and resolved into a professional technicolour game, complete with original card art and custom 3D printed game components.

The Art Coordinator, David Saunders, said: “Production involved patients and staff members from across the service in the creation of its various assets, each contributing to the various development stages with their own particular talents.

“Countless hours were spent imagining, creating, laughing and ironing out wrinkles in the rules and even more were spent pouring over every detail of the design, down to 'in-joke' elements of the board and cards.”

The project began in September 2018 and was completed in the summer of 2021. All those involved were thrilled with the final game.

It is not the first time the group has shown its creative side, as they have also looked at comic book publication, interactive ward DVD guides and they are now turning their attention to tabletop role-playing games.

David added: “It was a huge endeavour for those involved, I cannot fault their attention to detail, dedication and persistence in seeing this project through. Not even a pandemic slowed them down.

“I really enjoyed working with this group and was impressed at the challenges they were happy to consider along the way.

“So many skills have been supported and developed by engagement in this project. Alongside the graphic and 3D design skillsets which were applied to create physical elements of the game, there was also an emphasis on group collaboration, negotiation, planning, organisation, evaluation, problem solving and visual communication skills.

“This group is an excellent example of co-production and ERUPTION! has been one of the most personally rewarding projects I’ve ever been part of.”

Nichola Smith, ASD Senior Occupational Therapist, said: “This game is an outstanding example of co-production, and has truly been a project of passion and enthusiasm among the patient and staff team, with a brilliant end result.”