Kochi | ‘Go With The Flo – The Period Game’ is an educational board game that debunks myths around menstruation

Go with the flo board game 
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The educational board game Go With the Flo – The Period Game is exactly what you think it is. It is about menstruation, and probably India’s only board game on the subject. It is designed to demystify menstruation and aims to create menstrual literacy not only for girls who have reached menarche, but for parents and educators.  

The games has been brought out by Sradha Culture Lab, an initiative which focuses on gender, culture and psychology. Ranjini Krishnan, the founder of Sradha Culture Lab, explains, “Menstruation is an important moment of gendered identity formation and it needs to be acknowledged positively and understood so that people who go through it can own it.” 

Ranjini Krishnan
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Ranjini was working on her doctoral research in Cultural Psychology when she came across rituals related to menarche and also, what she refers to as, the age-old codes of discrimination against menstruators. Not only was she curious about it, she wanted to talk about it also.

Ranjini, who holds a Master’s degree in Applied Psychology says, “We create rituals when we are afraid of something according to psychoanalysis.” To this day stigma and ignorance continue to be aspects of menstruation. In the midst of all this, there was a personal element for her — she wanted to educate her son about it. “The game is not just for girls, boys can, and should, play it as well!” The response of her son and his peers to it has enthused her.    

Go With The Flo introduces 60-odd menstruation-related terms to the players, “seventy percent of menstruators don’t even know most of these. If you don’t know the words, how do you negotiate the experience?” she wonders. Menstruator, for example, is one such word. It also seeks to debunk myths and misconceptions surrounding menstruation.  

Designed as an ‘odyssey’ through the Sea of Change, the journey starts at the Harbour of Curio-city, the Sea of Puberty, PMS Ocean, Bay of Flow and the Cape of Pro-Periods and arrives at the Land of Life on day 28 (the average menstrual cycle). 

Guided by 24 true or false questions that touch upon the biological (How much blood does one lose during menstruation?), socio-cultural and psychological aspects of menstruation and four task cards that extend to real-life settings. And the most important is ‘smashing’ the Stigma Monster, with the resources they collect during their sailing. 

B Priyaranjanlal
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

The visual design is by B Priyaranjanlal, a graphic designer and artist, “He plays around with images while being playfully subversive. It was fun to work with him.”    

The game can be played by two people or two teams, “there are no winners or losers in this game. There is no competition, teamwork is the only way to make their way to Land of Life,” Ranjini adds. 

Go With The Flo speaks of menstruation objectively and inclusively, “uncoupling the idea of menstruation from womanhood. For not all who menstruate are women, and not all women menstruate!” Rather than add value to the experience, it introduces menstruation as a naturally occurring, organic experience. “The game is not connected to ‘baby-making’ but reproduction is mentioned,” adds Ranjini  

Her plan initially was to write a book, but then chose gamification because it would be more accessible than books for girls in menarche, aged between eight and 13. The game encourages players to use the actual terms rather than code words. 

The game, priced ₹799, will be launched on February 28; can be pre-ordered on gowiththeflo.in