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NVC, created by Marshall Rosenberg, is a great approach to build empathy and improve relationships with others. I am personally interested in creating games inspired by NVC principles, which is why I decided to look at the available NVC games in detail.
So what are the available NVC games? I found 10 non-violent communication games, especially:
- The No-Fault Zone Game, a board game that proposes a structured process which makes NVC easy for anybody
- The 3 GROK card games that facilitate NVC with feelings & needs cards adapted to their audiences (Children / Adults / Large groups)
- Play To Evolve, which helps practice empathetic AND antagonistic behaviors
NVC Board Games
The No-Fault Zone Game (Kindle-Hart Communication)
★★★★★
Age: 7+ (The publisher advises 5+)
Players: 1 to 2 (depending on rule), or in groups
Target: Families, Schools, Counselors, Organizations
Price: $$$$
Author: Sura Hart, Victoria Kindle Hodson
The No-Fault Zone Game
can be used for several purposes:
- Played alone: self-compassion, self-reflection and inner problem solving
- Played with another person (or more): understand and resolve conflicts, practice NVC, improve communication with others
It can be used by families, with friends or in organizations (companies, associations…) as the principles are universal and the game’s design is neutral (not targeted to a particular age range or context). Also, it is not really a “game” but rather a material that facilitates a process. Using the game enables to facilitate the NVC process with easy to use steps and simple cards.
It includes a rulebook (5 rules), 2 Mats and 2 Card Decks – one for each player. Card decks include Feelings Need and Choice Cards.
The following video gives interesting testimonies of what it can be used for:
What I particularly like is that while practicing NVC successfully typically requires a training or a trained facilitator, The No-Fault Zone Game succeeds in making the NVC approach accessible to most people who are willing to use the tool in good faith. This is really not easy and is extremely useful. I also appreciate its versatility, which is why I highly recommend The No-Fault Zone Game.
How can The No-Fault Zone Game achieve this? The trick is that the mats enable each player to position their feelings/needs/choice cards in two zones:
- The “Fault-Zone” where we complain, label, blame, find fault with others and demand things from them, resulting in arguments and conflicts.
- The “No-Fault Zone” where we implement an efficient communication process, fulfill our needs and help others
The following video is a demonstation of how the game works:
The 3 GROK NVC Card Games (Grok the world)
Authors: Christine King, Jean Morrison
Kid’s GROK
★★★★☆
Price: $$ / Age: 3-10
Target: Teachers, parents, counselors, therapists
Kid’s GROK includes 27 feelings & 27 needs/values cards, and a booklet with 22 rules and activities. They can be used for several purposes:
- Improve communication
- Build empathy
- Manage emotions
The cards are illustrated with pretty bears showing their emotions, and are attractive for small children but also work for older ones. It is a great tool to build empathy, and do it in the manner recommended by the “NVC principles”. So I really recommend Kid’s GROK!
GROK
★★★★☆
Price: $$$ / Age: 10+ / Players: 2-10 (small groups)
Target: Teachers, Families, Friends, Teams
Grok includes 70 feelings cards and 70 needs/values cards. The booklet proposes 20 rules and activities, designed to:
- Increase emotional intelligence and empathy
- Resolve conflict
- Focus on important goals, values and priorities
This is that standard “GROK” game for teens and adults.
The cards are more numerous, which enables to handle more various needs and situations. They are not illustrated. I appreciate the fact that they are printed twice (right side up and upside down) so that when you hold the card towards others you are sure that they can read it.
Overall I find the cards really efficient and to the point. If you want a game with a more structured process, I would advise to use “The No Fault Zone” instead, but GROK is great if you just want a comprehensive and flexible set of needs/feelings and activity proposals.
If you want to use NVC principles with large groups, I would advise looking at “Big GROK”:
Big Grok
★★★★☆
Price: $$$ / Age: 8+
Players: 10-75 (specially designed for large groups)
Target: Teachers, Organizations, Communities
Big Grok includes very large cards that are meant for use with large groups (very visible for far away): 75 feelings cards and 75 needs/values cards. The booklet proposes 25 rules and activities, designed to:
- Develop empathy, improve relationships and communication
- Foster group cohesion and connection
- Work on group vision/mission/goals
- Resolve conflicts
Other NVC Card Games
Play To Evolve (Clearsay.net)
★★★★★
Price: $$ / Players: 1-10
Age: 14+ (9+ according to the publisher, with an introduction from an adult)
Target: Adults
Author: Scott Swain
Play to Evolve includes 7 rules and 3 types of cards:
- A set of Needs/values resource cards that list the main needs/values
- A set of Feelings resource cards that list the feelings that can arise when needs are not met
- Share cards with prompts such as “Name something you do to relax.” or “What do you value most in a friendship?”
- Antagonist or Jackal cards with non-empathetic behaviors (advising, blaming, correcting, defending, educating, shaming, interrogation, evaluating, reassuring, sympathizing…) and explanations about how to exercise each of these antagonistic behaviors. People who use these behaviors typically meet their own needs, not the ones of others.
- Resource cards with examples of antagonistic behaviors, “recipe for empathy” etc…
The principle of the game is very interesting. Not only does it enables to rehearse/roleplay empathetic behaviors, but it also enables to identify and roleplay the “Antagonistic” behaviors. This is an extremely effective way to learn how to spot them in others, but also in oneself (we are all actually using them in everyday life all the time, and Play To Evolve makes them stand out).
This is why I highly recommend Play To Evolve which is a very original and effective game.
Tiger’s NVC Empathy Cards (New Insight)
★★★☆☆
Tiger’s NVC Empathy Cards are a set of cards depicting emotions/feelings with cute illustrated cats. It is a game about emotions rather than an NVC game (but is advertised as such) and is quite expensive at $49. the game is cute tough and can be really nice to use with 5 to 10-year-old children.
To see more emotion games for kids (and find less expensive emotions card games) you can read the following post: 30+ Games About Emotions For Preschoolers And Kindergarten (the games presented in this post can be used for primary school children as well).
Other Feelings & Needs Card Games
NVC Empathy Cards (Price: $49 / Target: Adults) is similar to Grok (and in a similar price range at $49). with 60 feelings cards and 60 needs cards. I recommend GROK rather than NVC Empathy Cards though because GROK includes 20 rules and activities in addition to the cards (and has more cards by the way). The author of the game explains it in the following video:
Feelings and Needs Card Set (NVC UK – ££) is a set of 62 feelings cards and 62 needs cards. I would recommend them is they were not only available in the UK.
Feelings and Needs Cards (Aotearoa NZ – $$$), is a set of 45 feelings and 54 needs cards, available only in New Zealand.
NVC FREE Printable Games
Feelings And Needs Cards (Malinda Elizabeth Berry)
★★★★★
Feelings and Needs Cards is a free printable NVC card game with 80 feelings cards, 80 needs cards, a guide with a rule and a list of needs and feelings, a Google doc with the same list in editable form. Malinda Elizabeth Berry’s cards are awesome and I highly recommend them.
Feelings & Needs Cards (The No-Fault-Zone & Kirsten Kristensen)
★★★★☆
The free Feelings and Needs Cards developed by Kirsten Kristensen & The No-Fault Zone are a set of 14 feelings cards and 14 needs designed for children. They are beautifully illustrated and are available in 19 different languages – I highly recommend them.
Needs Cards (worldempathy.org)
★★★☆☆
The worldempathy.org’s 66 needs cards are available in 18 languages for free. They are oversize cards best for use with groups (for example they are perfect in the classroom). The website explains 4 ways to use them. I also recommend these cards.
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Wow thank you for listing my card game, Play to Evolve, on your site!
I just had a guy order a deck because of you.
Thank you!
My pleasure, “Play to Evolve” is such a great concept, it really deserves to be known by more people.
Thankyou for this interesting, helpful and inspiring article. Really value this selection of card games whose aim is to improve our emotional intelligence and create keener understanding, empowerment and insight in the world.
I too have been inspired to create a set of feelings and needs cards! I am a professional mediator with a focus on the workplace. As a student of NVC I encountered and started using GROK cards (which are amazing and awesome btw) in my work both as a mediator and trainer. My set is inspired by them but introduces some more feelings and needs to make them more suitable for the workplace. YOu can check them out at https://www.empathyset.com/ and here is an amazing story of a teacher who used them with her 10 year old scholars: https://www.empathyset.com/blog/2022/4/14/teacher-shares-how-to-use-the-cards-to-keep-peace-in-the-classroom
This is a great card set, and the testimonial is awsome.
Congratulations !