This intimate card game teaches physical closeness and consent

Intimacy is a new card game, out this week, in which players touch one another with their hands and discuss their feelings about physical connections.

Created by Aubrey Isaacman, it’s designed to promote physical consent as well as closeness. The game features cards that suggest a particular way of touching with hands (say, touching another’s forearm). Other cards prompt discussion about physical and emotional intimacy.

According to the game’s description, Intimacy includes “mechanics for asking and getting consent from other players, provides tips and resources on how to have conversations around consent and establishing boundaries, and has a section in the rule book for post-game after care.”

Working with artist Terence Tolman and writer Saf Davidson, Isaacman designed Intimacy during her BA in Art, Design, Games and Playable Media at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

“Intimacy was originally aimed at people like me, who want to use games to make strong connections with other people and to experience emotional moments,” Isaacman told Polygon. “Throughout development, I’ve thought of my autistic brother who could use the game to practice his social skills. I’ve also connected with advocacy groups who say it would be a great healing tool for survivors of sexual assault to feel more comfortable with being physically and emotionally vulnerable with others.”

Intimacy is available now for $25.99.