Across the globe, political polarisation is on the rise and with it, a steady erosion of social trust. More and more, people are seeing those with different views not just as opponents, but as enemies. It’s a trend that threatens the foundations of democracy, which relies on dialogue, empathy, and shared understanding. 

To push back against this growing divide, a team from the Department of Psychology at Harvard University, working with the Global Development Incubator, developed The Cooperation Game, an interactive digital experience designed to bring people with opposing political views together, one conversation at a time. 

The concept was simple, but bold: pair players in real time and have them navigate a quiz that challenges their perspectives. Each round leans left or right, requiring participants to collaborate across differences to progress. Along the way, they chat, reflect, and see issues from another point of view. The aim? To shift attitudes, increase empathy, and build social trust. 

scaling the solution

Following a successful pilot, the team approached Anthologie to help bring the game to life as a working MVP. They needed a platform that could: 

  • Deliver an engaging user experience 
  • Allow for real-time chat and gameplay between participants 
  • Enable researchers to quickly build, test, and iterate quiz rounds 
  • Be scalable across industries, audiences, and use cases 

We worked closely with Harvard’s psychology reseachers and GDI to translate the prototype into a dynamic tool for real-world impact. Through collaborative workshops, research deep-dives, and iterative design sprints, we co-created a platform that balanced behavioural science with playful design. 

what we delivered

The MVP is a flexible, user-friendly platform that supports both experimentation and scale. Key features include: 

  • Real-time matchmaking – automatically pairing participants with contrasting political views 
  • Interactive quiz interface – designed to spark meaningful cooperation and chat-based dialogue 
  • Custom researcher tools – allowing Harvard’s team to easily create, adapt, and test new rounds of the game
  • Everything was built with rapid iteration in mind so researchers can refine content and features based on ongoing participant feedback. 

a shared belief in the power of empathy

At its heart, The Cooperation Game is about connection. It turns division into dialogue and creates space for empathy in an increasingly polarised world. And while the platform is still evolving, the ambition is clear: to scale this experience across sectors, from education to media to workplaces, and help rebuild the social trust that democracy depends on. 

This project reflects what we care about most at Anthologie: designing for impact, listening deeply, and building with purpose. 

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