This project will work closely with educators and students from five pilot high schools located in different regions and settings (rural, urban, suburban) to design and test the proposed Prevention and Countering Violent Extremism (P/CVE) program.

With Teens: Intended to support teen resilience directly, development began with a hands-on design session with high school students in a media studies program, which shaped our initial prototype. Several one-on-one interviews and playtesting sessions were held with teens, ages 14-19, who informed and refined the language, examples, visual style, and strategies featured in the game to ensure maximum relatability and efficacy. Playtesters and co-designers have been enthusiastic about the realistic feel of the conversations between characters and the chance to practice interacting with a "friend" who is being radicalized. Teens' perspectives on the best ways to cope with the big emotions and experiences that can make someone more vulnerable to radicalization continue to enrich this game as it undergoes iteration ahead of launch.

With Subject Matter Experts: Game development is informed by the incredible minds at Middlebury Institute of International Studies Center on Terrorism, Extremism, and Counterterrorism (CTEC) as well as consultants John Horgan, PhD, of Georgia State University, a leading expert in the psychology of terrorism and radicalization; and Christian Picciolini, a former member of an extremist group whose life's work is now dedicated to prevention, de-radicalization, and activism.