Knee Down Nonsense: A Card Game for Young Riders

Knee Down Nonsense is a fast-paced, 18+ card game built for young Indian riders and motorsport junkies. Think Cards Against Humanity, but for bikers with just the right dose of chaos, crude humor, and cultural relevance. Designed for 18–26 year olds, it mixes situational absurdity with tactical responses through three card types: Situation, Solution, and Wild. But beneath the laughter, there’s a deeper mission: to promote motorcycle track riding in India as both accessible and responsible. The game gamifies track safety, making serious lessons feel light, memorable, and worth sharing.

Track riding is growing fast in India, but awareness around safety is lagging behind. Young riders are especially vulnerable because there’s little engaging content that teaches them the ropes. The challenge was to create something that grabs their attention, keeps them hooked, and delivers safety lessons without sounding like a lecture.

I started by talking to riders on the track to get their honest take on safety and riding culture. What stood out was that awareness was the biggest issue. Young riders crash more because they don’t have the right info yet. So I focused on them. Using what I learned from those conversations, I mapped out the core game loop and mechanics. Then I brainstormed, prototyped, and refined the gameplay until it was both fun and educational. This wasn’t just guessing — it came from real rider experience and demand.

I saw firsthand how little riders connect with safety messages that feel preachy or boring. It shuts them down before the message even lands. Turning safety into a game, with humor and situations they actually relate to, opened a door — suddenly it wasn’t a lecture, it was a conversation.

Talking to real riders early on saved me from chasing assumptions that would have tanked the project. Their feedback made the difference between something that’s just an idea and something that actually works.

Keeping the game simple and flexible was key — if it feels like too much effort, people just won’t play. Sometimes the best way to reach people is to meet them where they are, not where you want them to be.

The final game is simple to play but smart in what it teaches. Players pick a situation card and everyone plays a solution. The best or funniest card wins. It’s quick, flexible, and pretty funny. Most importantly, it sneaks in track safety tips without feeling like a lecture. It’s designed for anyone to play, whether they’re in a hostel or at the track.