Using games as an educational tool: better ways to combat school bullying

Harassment , whether at school, online, at work, or during leisure activities, is a repeated, deliberate form of violence stemming from a power imbalance . Mockery, humiliation, isolation, rumors, hurtful messages, aggressive gestures: its forms are many, but its effects are always serious. Targeted individuals may develop anxiety , loss of confidence , social withdrawal , and sometimes even academic or social disengagement .

Faced with this reality, a major challenge remains: to encourage open discussion and empower bullied children and young people to defend themselves . This is precisely where games can become a powerful tool. Far from being mere entertainment, they create a safe space for finding appropriate responses to school bullying.

Topla, with its inclusive and socially conscious games , is part of this approach: using games to support harassment prevention.

Understanding why harassment silences

Before discussing the game, it is essential to understand why it is so difficult to talk about bullying, especially for children and teenagers.

Several mechanisms often combine:

• Shame : the child or teenager may feel responsible for what they are going through, or fear being judged.

• Fear of retaliation : fear that the harasser will become even more violent if they tell an adult.

• The trivialization : hearing "it's just a joke", "you have to be stronger", ends up normalizing violence.

• Isolation : Harassment is often accompanied by exclusion, which cuts the victim off from support resources.

• Doubt about the seriousness : many wonder if "it's really harassment" or if they are "exaggerating".

The result: even when support structures exist (trusted adults, helplines, school programs), opening up remains difficult . Therefore, concrete tools are needed to initiate discussions in a different way and help the children involved regain control.

Why is gaming such a powerful tool?

Games, when designed to address these sensitive issues, offer several major advantages.

A secure and symbolic setting

In the game, you don't talk directly about your own story , but about situations, cards, characters, and roles . This symbolic distance allows you to say important things without feeling exposed.

The implicit rule becomes:
"We talk about the game, but in reality, we're also talking about what can happen in real life."

This mediation is reassuring, especially for younger people.

A better distribution of equal speaking time

Around a game table, the roles are more balanced:

• each one takes a turn

• Each person picks, reads, reacts

• The cards "give a voice" in a structured way.

This can help students or young people who are usually withdrawn to dare to speak up , because it is the rule of the game, and not a direct order from the adult.

One way to test possible answers

The game allows you to experiment with different reactions in a safe environment:

• alert an adult

• do nothing

• respond with self-deprecation

• gaining self-confidence through other activities

We analyze these responses together: which ones actually help? Which ones are risky? Which ones reinforce harassment?
This collective work forges concrete benchmarks for real life.

A natural motivation

Unlike some overly academic or theoretical tools, a well-designed game:

• captures attention

• offers a dynamic rhythm

• promotes the spontaneous involvement of participants

The subject remains serious, but the playful format helps to sustain attention for longer and makes the session more memorable.

Games like Takattak, Feelings or No Way, Bully! are excellent educational tools.

The game does not replace the accompaniment, it activates it.

It is important to remember this clearly: a game does not “solve” a harassment situation on its own.

However, it can:

• to raise awareness of what harassment is

• to establish a common language (“repeated violence”, “power imbalance”, “witnesses”…)

• help to identify problematic situations

• encourage young people to then speak one-on-one with an adult

• to serve as a working tool for professionals (teachers, educators, psychologists, associations, etc.)

The game then becomes one tool , among others, in a comprehensive strategy for prevention and care.

How to use gaming to break the silence surrounding harassment

For games to truly become a tool for communication, facilitating the session is essential. Here are some reliable guidelines, adaptable to different settings (schools, associations, youth centers, families).

1. Establish a clear and secure framework

Even before the first card is played or the first round is started, the adult can:

• to remember that all people present have the right to respect

• Establish simple rules: listen, non-judgment, right to remain silent

• It should be specified that no one should share their personal story and that it is possible to schedule an appointment with an adult outside of this playtime.

• explain that the goal is to understand, reflect, and seek solutions

This framework creates a calming atmosphere and prevents the session from turning into a settling of scores.

2. Let the game do its work… then open the discussion

During the game, the players are allowed to:

• read the situations

• react

• discuss

• suggest some ideas

Next comes a guided debriefing session, which is just as important as the game itself. This is the time when the young players:

• put words to what they felt

• identify the reactions that really help

• identify attitudes to avoid

• formulate ideas for possible actions within their own context

This is often where children and young people tell themselves that they can regain control of the situation in the event of harassment.

3. Adapt the game to the age and level of maturity

For younger children, the situations will be simpler, the rules shorter, and the playing time shorter.
For teenagers, we can go further in:

• the nuance

• the complexity of the scenarios

• moral dilemmas

• discussions on the role of the group and social networks

The important thing is that the content remains understandable and bearable for the players.

Topla's specific role in this process

Topla has become known for its educational, creative and socially conscious games , which address themes such as:

• legality

• diversity

• Consent with the OK or not OK game?

• combating stereotypes with the Careers Memo

• Harassment prevention with No Way, Bully!

The games designed by Topla are intended to:

• be accessible and easy to use

• to offer concrete situations close to the reality of children and adolescents

• encourage dialogue between players

• provide adults with discussion materials (rules, resource booklets, activity suggestions)

Their approach can be said to be based on a simple principle: “play to change the world” , using play as a trigger for reflection and speech.

Advice for teachers, educators and parents

Whether you are a teacher, facilitator, parent or childcare professional, a few guidelines can help you use games as a tool for talking about bullying.

• Choose a suitable time : avoid periods that are too tense or too emotionally charged.

• Inform participants of the type of topic to be discussed, so that they do not find out at the last minute.

• Remain available after the session : in case some young people want to talk individually

• Rely on reliable resources (helplines, harassment advisors, institutional mechanisms, trained psychotherapists and psychologists) if a specific situation arises.

The game can then be part of a series of broader actions: awareness sessions, classroom work, external interventions, individual support.

Conclusion

School bullying thrives in silence, shame, and isolation. By using play as a tool for expression , we offer children, teenagers, and adults a concrete way to put words to their experiences , analyze situations , and work together to find more appropriate solutions .

In this context, the socially conscious games designed by Topla take on their full meaning: they do not just entertain, they open up spaces for dialogue, empathy and collective reflection.

Used within a safe environment and with supportive guidance, they help to gradually break the silence surrounding harassment and provide strategies for defending oneself and regaining control in cases of harassment.