Hi! We’re a team of Columbia University professors, students, and alumni. After months of hard work, we present:
Trailblazer Heroes, a strategic card game celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heroes from the past and present. This is the game we wish we had growing up!
Our mission is to share positive and inspiring stories in the midst of recent anti-Asian violence and hate, and bring our communities together in solidarity.
The base game supported in this Kickstarter features 20 inspiring heroes, including historical activist Fred Korematsu, actor Daniel Dae Kim, investigative journalist Lisa Ling, and young CEO + coder Samaira Mehta! To stay updated on upcoming expansion packs featuring more AAPI heroes, subscribe to our email list on our website.
The idea for the Trailblazer Heroes game was born in response to increased violence against AAPI communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our aim is to combat stereotypes, hate, and other community challenges through inspiring stories of resilience throughout history and modern day.
We celebrate heroes in the AAPI community (and their allies) and seek to inspire new heroes of tomorrow. Heroes can be seen in the spotlight, or they can be found in ordinary places doing incredible things.
Through this game, we shed light on key moments in history, promoting Asian and Pacific Islander heritage and culture to inspire players to become trailblazers and change-makers themselves.
Our game celebrates pioneers and history makers from diverse cultures united as “AAPI” – Americans of East Asian, Southeast Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Islander descent. We highlight how AAPI communities are making an impact not just in media and entertainment, but in all aspects of society!
For this first edition, we asked: “Who’s your AAPI hero?” and invited people to share with us who they felt were the most important figures of the past and present. Through this process, conducting research, and discussing with Asian American studies professors and other experts, we identified 20 people for the first edition. We feature the stories of everyday heroes and celebrate the lives of those making an impact in our communities, including actor Daniel Dae Kim, journalist Lisa Ling, scientist Chien Shiung Wu, fashion designer Ashlyn So, and more.
We designed the game through cycles of prototyping and playtesting with a wide variety of audiences, including with middle and high school students from Apex for Youth; college and graduate students from Columbia University + NYU; and adults.
Our game has three goals: (1) share stories of AAPI trailblazers, history, culture, and challenges; (2) inspire through a fun cooperative game that involves strategy and teamwork to overcome challenges ; and (3) feature the art of unique AAPI artists.
Finally, our game responds to the need for more robust AAPI history curriculum in and out of school. Our team of students, faculty, and alum from the Games Research Lab and Instructional Technology & Media program at Teachers College, Columbia University collaborate with AAPI history educators and students to design and develop this game for play both in the classroom and at home.