Creation log: the beginnings of Disbiotik

28/05/2022 - University of Barcelona Science Festival.

How can you teach gut microbiota without talking (too much) about poop? With cards, of course.

Disbiotik was born in May 2022 with a clear goal: to raise awareness about fecal microbiota transplantation during the University’s Science Festival. Obviously, bringing live bacteria to the event wasn’t an option… and even less so human feces. So what was the alternative? A card game with all those elements. And honestly, it didn’t sound bad at all.

Back then, my experience in game design was pretty much zero, just like my experience as a board gamer. So, following the advice of Austin Kleon in his book Steal like an artist, I set out to copy and combine the mechanics of the only two modern board games I had ever played at the time: Virus! and Sushi Go!.

The theme was crystal clear: gut microbiota. Foods that provide good bacteria, bad habits that make you sick, antibiotics… and of course, fecal microbiota transplants. From there, things started falling into place.

After a couple of weeks of research, many hours on Procreate and Photoshop, and a good dose of scientific reading, we made it. Your future favorite game (although, to be honest, I think every first-time designer falls into that sweet trap of loving and overhyping their own first game. I might explore that idea in another post).

Excerpt from the book Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon.

So we had a game that seemed to work… and wow, did it work. Waves of kids, teens, and not-so-young visitors lined up at our tables on launch day:
– “You have poor hygiene and catch Clostridioides difficile!”
– “Well, I cure myself with a fecal microbiota transplant and gain good bacteria!”

The monster was born. Pure success.

That weekend felt like the birth of something big, something way beyond us. Disbiotik, the gut microbiota game.

But after those intense days, I scheduled a meeting to discuss the project’s future… and no one showed up. My motivation hit rock bottom.

Still, my game didn’t deserve to be abandoned and forgotten in a drawer. What would future Lucía think if, five years from now, she found a bunch of cards with bacteria doodles buried among her things? What could have been but never was… Too depressing. I couldn’t let that happen.

And here we are, in 2025, three years later, closer to the finish line and having learned and enjoyed so much along the way. The project now looks very different from what it once was: new mechanics, new artwork coming soon, but the same spirit and excitement as in the beginning.

If you’ve made it this far, let me encourage you to believe in your own projects. Because if you don’t believe in them, no one else will.

With that reflection, I wrap it up for today. My plan is to use this space to share my journey, learnings, and occasional ramblings in the world of board game design. Maybe it’ll inspire someone out there, but honestly, I’m mainly doing it for myself.

Welcome to my creation log. 👋✨

Honor the promises you make to yourself – image by Rawpixel Public Domain.