Were Not Really Strangers: More Than a Card Game
Mental Health Awareness Month is about two weeks away and we think we’ve found one of the best ways to admire this occasion—aside from therapy. It’s a card game (so yeah, no phone on this one) by the company Were Not Really Strangers. You’ve likely seen the viral @werenotreallystrangers Instagram account on your explore page, but if you’re unfamiliar, the intention of the account, and essentially the card game as well, is to empower meaningful connections. Twenty-five-year-old CEO and founder, Koreen Odiney, noticed how technology has allowed us to communicate widely but lacks the depth that allows us to be truthful about ourselves and how we’re feeling. Hence her tangible and very vulnerable card game. She’s making vulnerability cool and we’re all here for it.
Here’s how the game works. Were Not Really Strangers is a question-based, purpose-driven card game; meaning it’s trying to accomplish something between you and the people or person you chose to play with. This can be realizations about yourself, other players, or your relationships with them. There are three carefully crafted levels that allow you to deepen these existing relationships or create new ones. Level one is based on perception, level two is based on connection, and level three is based on reflection. Finally, to finish up the game, each player is offered a final card where they can write a note to another player to fold and exchange at the closing of the game (so old-school and wholesome). Just so you really know what you’re getting yourself into, let us preview the emotional endeavors of the game for you before you buy.
LEVEL 1: PERCEPTION
Level one allows you to see what first impression you give off and how well you read other players. Our perception of people provides a baseline for the ways we regard, understand, and interpret them. Oftentimes we perceive people and believe it to be an accurate representation of who they are. Wrong. Remember: Perception is not reality. Play about 15 cards to move on to the next level.
Do you think I've ever been in love?
Do you think I was popular in high school?
What is the worst assumption someone has made about you?
LEVEL 2: CONNECTION
This level provides rarely asked, but super important, questions that are meant to deepen your existing relationships. A deep connection with someone must be rooted in alignment and intimacy between two people that goes beyond just physical attraction and surface-level conversations. Instead, it should feel like you've connected on a more intense soul level—and feel secure doing so. Forewarning, these questions can get pretty vulnerable–It’s okay to cry. Take your time answering.
What's the most pain you've ever been in that wasn't physical?
What are you feeling a lot of lately?
What are you currently working through that others don't see?
LEVEL 3: REFLECTION
Level three allows for time to reflect on your experience with the game. There’s a whole lot of reflecting to do. Whether it be about your biases or perceptions, insecurities and fears, or similarities with other players, this part of the game should allow you to unpack and understand yourself and other players better.
What do you think our most important similarities are?
What do I need to hear right now?
What question were you most afraid to answer?
Upon completion of the game, we hope you find ways to better understand yourself and those around you. We hope you choose to open your heart to those who deserve it, with that first person always being yourself.