Nyiyaparli Widi
Bringing a 41,000-year-old culture back to life through gaming
( Services )
- Customer experience
- Tech & Data
For over 41,000 years, the Nyiyaparli people have called the rugged Pilbara region of Western Australia home. Their culture is among the oldest in the world.
And yet, with just eight fluent speakers remaining, the Nyiyaparli language is critically endangered.
Rather than dwelling on what was being lost, the Nyiyaparli Living Language Project (NLLP) was created to preserve Nyiyaparli and keep it alive forever.
To make that vision a reality, we were humbled and proud to help Karlka Nyiyaparli Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC (custodians of the NLLP) and the Nyiyaparli community create Nyiyaparli Widi (“Widi” = “Game”). A mobile-first language-learning game that immerses both young people and adults in their native landscape as they collect cultural items, complete educational quests, and learn everyday words along the way.
Community-led co-creation
From the beginning of our work, we understood that while this was precisely the kind of impact-driven work that aligns with our mission as a B Corp, good intentions wouldn’t be enough. Authentic cultural representation demands deep collaboration, not external interpretation.
To that end, we embedded ourselves within the Nyiyaparli community’s process. We worked hand in hand with the NLLP Cultural Working Group, senior language speakers, Nyiyaparli Rangers, and community members through multiple cultural workshops to ensure our approach was genuine.
Our game design choices reflected this collaboration and everything we learned from it.
Location and geography: the layout of the game was built to reflect real, culturally significant places on Nyiyaparli country. Players would begin their journey at the Ngawanykurrana (14-Mile) stockyards camp on Palkarra (the Fortescue Marsh). From there, they explore other key locations from plains to wetlands, including:
- Nyiyaparli Yurlu (Country)
- Marnta (Chichester Ranges)
- Kurtuwa (Ethel Creek Station)
- Panpatina (Newman township)
Voice and language: all voice acting was performed by Nyiyaparli community members, both children and adults. Over three intensive recording days, and culturally supervised by a number of senior language speakers, the project team captured around 90 Nyiyaparli words, preserving the language and its natural rhythms and nuances.
Art and music: the game’s visual identity was primarily created by DEPT® artists and producers, while Nyiyaparli Rangers created the song.
Cultural knowledge: rather than generic gameplay mechanics, we built culturally relevant interactions around collecting traditional items, learning about native plants and animals, and understanding the significance of cultural tools and practices.
Building an authentic experience
Nyiyaparli Widi transforms players into “junior rangers,” collecting unique cultural items and learning everyday Nyiyaparli words through immersive gameplay. Players earn Paathupaathu! (“Respect!”) points as they progress, unlocking new levels and cultural challenges.
Key features include:
- Discovering and collecting authentic cultural artifacts
- Learning language through contextual, in-game interactions
- Exploring real cultural locations in Nyiyaparli Country
- Unlocking culturally relevant power-ups and tools
- Competing for high scores while building cultural knowledge
- Replay mechanics that reveal hidden cultural treasures
At the heart of the gaming experience is how these features come together to serve the larger cultural mission.
During play, the game teaches new phrases and vocabulary in a way that sticks. However, at a much broader level, the game also helps inspire young people (and adults) to develop a connection to place, culture, and community.
Impact beyond the screen
Nyiyaparli Widi is simultaneously an educational tool and a celebration of a vibrant language and culture. Above all else, however, it represents a cultural lifeline.
For Nyiyaparli children, it offers a pathway to connect with their cultural heritage in a format that speaks to their digital-native upbringing. For the broader community, it ensures that precious cultural knowledge doesn’t disappear with the passing of elders.
It demonstrates how technology can serve indigenous communities when the process is truly collaborative. By centring community voices and cultural protocols throughout development, we created something that belongs to the Nyiyaparli people—not something made about them.
Every time someone plays Nyiyaparli Widi, whether indigenous or non-indigenous, they are contributing to vital preservation efforts to keep the Nyiyaparli language alive forever.
