MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – Our Watch, Australia’s leading organization in the primary prevention of violence against women, has collaborated with DDB Group Melbourne to develop Comfort Zone, an innovative interactive board game designed to help young people navigate personal boundaries while fostering conversations about emotional comfort, consent and respect.
The initiative responds to the complex challenges facing today’s adolescents as they navigate boundaries in an increasingly connected world. With the pervasive influence of group chats, social media platforms, and peer pressure, many young people find it difficult to articulate discomfort or establish personal limits without fear of social judgment. The tendency to suppress instincts in favor of social acceptance creates significant barriers to healthy relationship development.
Comfort Zone addresses these challenges by providing young people with practical tools and safe spaces for reflection, encouraging them to confidently establish and communicate their personal boundaries.
DDB Group Melbourne spearheaded the entire campaign development process, from initial concept through to final production. The agency’s responsibilities encompassed branding strategy, game mechanics design, packaging development and overall creative execution. The result is a tactile, conversation-driven experience that successfully balances entertainment value with educational impact, creating an environment that feels more akin to recreational gaming than traditional classroom instruction.
The game employs straightforward mechanics designed to facilitate meaningful dialogue. Players select prompt cards from a deck, adjust a slider to indicate their comfort level with various scenarios, and reveal their responses by sliding up a tab.
Beyond its physical format, Comfort Zone maintains a robust digital presence through multiple channels. The campaign includes a fully interactive TikTok filter and an online version accessible across various platforms. The initiative is further amplified through a TikTok podcast-style series featuring celebrities and content creators engaging with the game in real-time.
The series showcases diverse pairings, including Heartbreak High co-stars Bryn Chapman Parish and Sherry-Lee Watson, Adelaide Crows teammates Josh Rachele and Jake Soligo, and influencer couple Taz and Alessia. These unscripted interactions demonstrate the varying nature of individual comfort zones while highlighting the importance of open dialogue.
Our Watch CEO, Patty Kinnersly, said: “Healthy relationships start with healthy boundaries. By helping young people know what’s okay and not okay, they can enter relationships knowing where their ‘comfort zone’ is and what to do if something doesn’t feel right.”
DDB Group Melbourne Executive Creative Director, Giles Watson, added: “Young people don’t want to be lectured, but they do want to talk. Whilst disguised as a game, Comfort Zone is really a powerful tool designed to change behaviour.”
The long-term goal is to incorporate Comfort Zone within education environments as a part of respectful relationships education, giving teachers a new tool to support open, honest dialogue in classrooms.
Watch the series and try the TikTok filter at theline.org.au/comfortzone
