This is the core thesis and most important quote of gamification, from Brian Sutton-Smith. And we waited 11 years for the opportunity to be able to take this sentence literally. This opportunity was opened to us this year by the Richter HR team.

Among Richter’s year-long employee initiatives, one of the most impactful in 2025 was the Balance Program.

“The aim of the program is to empower us to take care of our own physical and mental well-being, while working together to make Richter a truly outstanding place to work.”

The program brings together a wide range of formats, designed to support employees' physical and mental well-being throughout the year. It includes extensive educational and inspirational initiatives, experience-based elements built on both individual and shared engagement, as well as opportunities for personal reflection and individual support. Within this annual roadmap, one of the most prominent milestones is the October Mental Health Day.

On this occasion, a diverse mix of lectures, workshops and interactive programs awaited colleagues both in Budapest and across regional locations and this is where we joined in as well, contributing our perspective playfully and sensitively.

The concept was simple. We designed three activities that allowed participants to casually immerse themselves in the message of the day, whether they chose to explore the programs alone or collectively. The climax was facing the Mental Monsters.

At the Richter Mental Health Day, the burdens that invisibly accompany us took physical form. Stress, Loneliness, Burnout, and Anxiety appeared as kind little monsters in the atrium of the central office building. And once they had made their way among us, they could be defeated as well. Not aggressively, not loudly, but seasoned with dice, play, and laughter.

Players faced the monsters, which had been installed as life-sized cardboard figures, using dice. Their goal was to roll combinations with four giant foam dice that would reach the target numbers displayed above the monsters’ heads. No one could be eliminated, and no one could lose. They could roll as many times as they wanted. Those with luck defeated the Mental Monsters in two minutes, those with less luck rolled a few more times, but success was always guaranteed.

Of course, we did not make light of it. We did not convey the message that defeating these symbolic little monsters would banish real problems. Rather, we wanted to point out that the child living inside us longs for the same thing as the adult: to connect in a safe space.

At the end of the games, everyone walked away not only with gifts, but with deep insights as well:

“This is my sixth attempt, and I still cannot roll Anxiety.”

“Do not worry, it is just a matter of patience and perseverance to defeat it.”

“That must be true. How interesting that in everyday life, anxiety is what I have to face the most as well.”

These kinds of self-reflections are what elevate play out of the drawer of empty entertainment.

From there, it was only a step for participants to take part in the other programs, lectures, and workshops with openness. In this, we achieved our goal. We did not want to solve the problems, nor to brush them aside or trivialize them. We wanted to recognize that everything is easier together, because we can rely on one another.

Happy holidays, and many memorable moments, wishes the [eureka] team!

P.S. Special thanks to Frigyes Schőberl Frici, who not only conceived this wonderful, multi-layered game, but also gave it body and form. I would also like to thank Gergő Bárány and the [eureka] team for giving soul to the embodied game as well, a soul that filled every colleague participating in the Mental Health Day with connection, empathy, and attentiveness toward one another. At the end of the year, we could wish for nothing more than this.