Learn empathy, mindfulness, and ethical behavior in a new and innovative way! Our computer game "Nalanda" brings joy for all age groups AND society: both while playing and by applying what you've learned in everyday life!

Do you know the happiness that comes from compassion and care for others?
Do you remember your relief when your brother forgave you for the smashed football? The fun you had with your friends during their move, despite all the hard work? Your colleague's delight at your crucial tip for making the draft contract watertight, even though you were suddenly no longer number one in the office?

"I see more and more clearly that our spiritual well-being is not dependent on religion, but rather stems from our innate human nature, our natural predisposition to kindness, compassion, and care for others. Regardless of whether we belong to a religion or not, we all have a fundamental and human ethical source within us. We must cherish and nurture this shared ethical foundation."
- The Dalai Lama's appeal for secular ethics and peace, July 1, 2015 -

However, in our Western society, this ethical foundation is often overshadowed by the desire for personal advantages, material goods, or short-term sensual pleasures.

But occasionally, after a sunny day at the beach or a heartfelt conversation with a good friend, we reconnect with our true needs. Then we are also able to experience the happiness that springs from compassion and caring for others.

Suddenly we realize how we should have acted better in certain situations to make others and ourselves happier.

But how can we achieve this more often? How can we gain this "insight" in our hectic everyday lives, so that we can align our actions more with ethical principles that make us all happier?

It's quite simple - through learning and practice!
Thanks to neuroscientific research in recent years, it is now known that the brain possesses an extraordinary ability: neuroplasticity.
This means that regular training can create new neural connections, allowing traditional thought patterns and perceptions to be abandoned in favor of new abilities.

Sounds pretty tough and tedious, doesn't it?
Probably. Definitely if you have to learn on a hard school bench.

But do you remember how easily they steered "Super Mario Bros." over all obstacles? Or – for the older among us – how they developed complex strategies in the board game "Risk" to conquer the world?

That's right, we all learn very easily and with a lot of fun when we play.
It is no coincidence that gaming has become one of the most popular leisure activities in Germany, with around 34 million people enjoying it.

And that's exactly where our project idea comes in!

In 2016, together with a group of students from mAHS, media Akademie - Hochschule Stuttgart, led by the head of the Game Design program, Prof. Markus Wiemker, we developed a concept for a computer game, which was then refined to meet market requirements by a professional game development company from Berlin.

The result is "Nalanda", an adventure and puzzle game that will run on iOS and Android!

Short adventure episodes sharpen the player's "mindfulness" and increase their capacity for empathy.
However, the aim is never to point fingers or punish behavior, but solely to point out the consequences of actions in order to encourage reflection.
The player experiences the game as a puzzle of stories that he can assemble himself.

With this game, we deliberately want to differentiate ourselves from games that reward the skill of a single individual in conquering, killing, or driving fast.
In Nalanda, rather, the one who "wins" is the one who exposes the causes of conflicts and the effects of bad actions, thereby eliminating the suffering of others or promoting the prosperity of an entire community - in this case, the village of "Nalanda".

"Nalanda" thus subtly conveys new options for action that players can then automatically apply in their everyday reality.

The game "Nalanda" therefore provides its players with virtually squared happiness - firstly through the game itself, and secondly through the effect that what is learned during the game has on everyday life!

Der Anfang ist gemacht: In zäher Kleinarbeit, finanziert durch die gemeinnützige Gesellschaft mindDIVING Akademie gGmbH und unterstützt von zahlreichen Partnern wurde ein detailliertes Game Konzept entwickelt, das wir nun mit eurer Hilfe in die Tat umsetzen wollen!

With a small donation you can bring the village of "Nalanda" to life and contribute to the development process at the same time!