When our group first came up with the idea for IdeaDuels, a political ideology-themed card game, I thought, “This is going to be really fun! It’s also unique and something they’ll enjoy.”, and in many ways, it was. But I quickly learned that turning an idea into something real, something functional, meaningful, and educational, was going to take a lot more than enthusiasm. It took collaboration, frustration, creativity, and a whole lot of trial and error.

The easiest part of the Capstone journey was brainstorming. Our group thrived during the early conceptual stage, bouncing off ideas about the gameplay mechanics, card designs, and how to make politics more accessible and engaging for people our age without losing the educational aspect of it all. We were passionate and curious, and the energy was high. Coming up with the ideologies and card types like “Easy,” “Medium,” and “Hard” felt natural. It was like we were building our own little world that was to be unveiled at some point.

Of course, we met our fair share of challenges. The hardest part was making sure the game was not only accurate but also balanced and playable. We realized that politics is a complex, often nuanced subject, and boiling it down into digestible game cards without oversimplifying or misrepresenting the ideologies we used was a delicate task. Add to that the need to test gameplay, edit cards according to the suggestions of our practitioners, and deal with printing logistics, and we were suddenly juggling more than we expected.

Despite the stress and occasional setbacks, I’ve gained so much from the Capstone experience. First and foremost, I developed a deeper understanding of how collaboration really works. Our group had different strengths, some were better at research, others at design, others at public speaking, some were good at both, and we had to learn how to play to each other’s strengths, just like in the game itself. I also gained confidence in presenting our work. During our various data gathering sessions, I felt proud seeing how people engaged with our game, laughed at some of the wild matchups with the game cards, and ended with many of them declaring that they had fun and would be willing to come back for some more. Our actual Capstone Defence went better than anticipated, with the panelists commending us for the uniqueness of our card game and engaging with IdeaDuels.

Feedback from the presentation was both helpful and humbling. Some of the suggestions took us aback, like removing the picture-based Hard cards, which I had spent time creating with my good friend Robbie. But I also realized those cards, though visually interesting, made the game uneven for people who had zero context of what to do. Another major suggestion was to make a Filipino version of the game, which made so much sense. Why shouldn’t we translate the game to Filipino if our goal was to educate the youth, even the ones who predominantly speak Filipino? It was a blind spot, and now it feels like an exciting next step. If we could go back and improve IdeaDuels, we’d localize the game better and focus on improving the guide to make it more classroom-friendly.

To the future Grade 12 students about to begin their own Capstone journeys: embrace the mess. It won’t be perfect, and that’s okay. Stay curious, listen to feedback, and most of all, choose a topic you care about, because that passion will carry you through the all-nighters, the late-night group debates, and the nerves of the long-dreaded defence. Don’t aim to create the perfect product. Aim to grow from the process.

IdeaDuels started as a card game, but for me, it has became something more, my final hurrah before I leave the school for good and a reminder of what it means to create something that informs, inspires, and invites others to think deeper.