CREATED WITH THE BIG CREATORS
SERVICES: GAME DESIGN
The Porcelain Child is a powerful, youth-designed card game that explores how adult words and actions shape a young person's sense of self, trust, and belonging. Created by 25 teens through iThrive Games' Game Design Studio model, the game invites players into a reflective and emotionally resonant experience that aims to strengthen youth-adult relationships through play. Unveiled at SXSW EDU 2025 by its teen designers, the Big Creators, The Porcelain Child was playtested live—inviting feedback, sparking dialogue, and modeling how co-creation fuels innovation. More than just a game, it's a call to reimagine the role of play in connection, learning, and systems change.
STAY UPDATED WITH THE PORCELAIN CHILD
MORE THAN A GAME—A MOVEMENT
Developed through a dynamic partnership between Big Thought, Fit and Faithful Living, iThrive Games/History Co:Lab, and generously supported by the Siegel Family Endowment, The Porcelain Child is a testament to the power of youth voice and intergenerational collaboration. By centering young people as co-creators, the game demonstrates how youth perspectives can reshape adult behavior, foster empathy, and catalyze change across learning ecosystems.
WHY THIS MATTERS
Today's learning systems must evolve into ecosystems of care—spaces that honor the social and emotional needs of young people while preparing them to lead and thrive. Youth voice is essential in this transformation. When adults truly listen and partner with young people, new possibilities emerge—for education, for community, and for the future.
Co-creation shifts outdated narratives. Young people are not problems to be solved—they are architects of possibility. Through storytelling, design, and play, The Porcelain Child uplifts youth creativity, advocates for narrative change, and calls adults into deeper reflection and partnership.
ROOTED IN DALLAS, BUILT FOR EVERYWHERE
This work began with the voices of Dallas teens—brilliant, bold, and ready to lead. By investing in local youth through models like the Game Design Studio, Dallas is not just supporting future-ready learners—it's cultivating a citywide culture of innovation, empathy, and shared accountability. When we support young people as designers, leaders, and changemakers, we don't just change systems—we change lives.
WHAT THE TEEN DESIGNERS SAY:
