RIMBA is really about family and friends spending time playing simple games together, telling stories and building a connection to our natural heritage. The cards were a way for us to connect our urban and rural landscapes through the use of both Bahasa Malaysia and English. We also spent time in making the cards color blind friendly with the use of color icons and by keeping the animals in black and white. These little design details are our way of saying thank you to all the people we have learnt from and the diversity among us.
RIMBA The Card Game is my living protest towards deforestation. As a kid in the late 80’s-90’s, my brothers and I looked forward to long weekends and school holidays filled with hikes to waterfalls, bird watching or caving activities with the Malaysian Nature Society. The highlight was always the not to be missed family camping trips; my dad and brothers were Scouts and my mum till today is a Girl Guide Ranger. Tough hikes and long days in the sun carrying back packs assigned to us by weight with our shared food, water and change of clothes was totally worth it as long as we saw wildlife, and wildlife we did see. Anything would float our boat; a pair of hornbills flying overhead, stick insects, a random toad semi submerged in the middle of the stream or even wild boar tracks, it blew our minds when the local orang asli would tell us about spotting a sunbear or a pangolin. We also got to experience the orang asli smocking civet cats and catch large fresh water fish.
Growing up with naturalist like David Attenborough and Steve Irwin on TV admiring our tropical rainforest was truly inspiring too, this really got us into identifying animals and plants which we would later describe to visiting family and friends.
This sense of adventure and pride for my home country was a part of my identity when studying abroad. Despite being asked if we still lived on trees, I would always divert to talk about Sunbears, Siamang or Colugos every memory very real thus the lack of internet not felt.
Today as deforestation expands at an alarming rate and forested areas are pushed back behind plantations, I feel sadden by the disconnect; this is where RIMBA bridges the gap and aims to raise awareness at a national level, getting people to be more empathic and gang ho in collectively protecting our biodiversity. By playing RIMBA you get to learn about 30 endangered Malaysian animals and by doing this you’re helping save our biodiversity and wildlife. To extend knowledge on our RIMBA animals, we have created online platforms to connect Malaysian wildlife and conservation efforts to people; be part of our community by joining us on FB and IG (@rimbathecardgame) or head over to our website at rimba.com.my.
RIMBA – Connecting, loving and protecting Malaysia’s biodiversity through play. Support RIMBA here.
A Piece of Malaysia 