Kidiki, a card game, aims to help players improve their emotional wellness

If you thought playing with emotions is not a good thing, it is time for a rethink. Kidiki, a card game developed by Kochi-based entrepreneur David M Soni, lets you toy with your emotions. The game, he says, would eventually lead the players to understand and express their emotions better. Launched earlier this month, Kidiki was designed after much thought and research, says David. 

After his BBA in Mumbai, David joined a corporate company in New Zealand. During his years in New Zealand (2020 to 2024), he kept exploring emotional wellness practices. A yoga practitioner, who has been teaching yoga since 2018, David also used to conduct workshops to help strangers communicate authentically. Once, after attending a workshop on mental wellness, he got a moment of clarity. “I knew that I wanted to create a tool to help people connect with each other more effectively. The insight I got was clear. Everyone wants to love and be loved, just that we don’t know how to express ourselves,” he says.

David quit his high paying job and decided to follow his passion. He spent over two years talking to therapists, monks, yoga teachers and other experts on emotional wellness, and drawing from his own personal experiences too to come up with Kidiki. “Kidiki in Hindi means window. This game is like a window into yourself and others with whom you are playing,” he adds.

Kidiki cards 
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The game (in English) has a deck of 108 cards divided into three sections in different colours. While the green cards name bodily sensations, the pink stands for feelings and the orange for needs. The recommended way of playing is to start with sensations, move on to feelings and then to needs, but the game is open ended and players can create their own rules as they move along, says David. He explores mind-body unity through the ‘sensations’ deck. “Every feeling shows up in the body as a sensation. By noticing these sensations, we can recognise emotions more quickly,“ he adds. 

The game can be played by individuals, for greater self awareness, couples, parents and children to improve communication. The cards could even help therapists support their clients in identifying and naming their feelings.  

kidiki cards 
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

David tried out the game in a couple of group sessions and the results were encouraging. “Very often, when you are able to label your emotions and needs, you would feel immediate relief and gain clarity/ you would understand yourself quicker. If you are playing with family or friends, you would be able to understand their emotional states better, which leads to compassion for them,” adds David.

David’s dream is to develop the game in Indian languages and distribute it free to Government schools, villages and rural areas. 

The game is available on kidiki.in. For information, mail thekidiki@gmail.com