The recently-held Esports and Gaming Summit (ESGS) at SMX Convention Center Manila proved to be humongous. Major brands have set up towering booths (to the point that I don’t call them mere booths anymore). There’s a mix of easy and hard, analog and digital games for everyone to play with.

I went for a more amusing ESGS attraction this time, opting to play this game of “Love’s Five Languages.”

This fun ice-breaker is a collaboration between The Epic Gaming Regiment (TEGR) and artist Hello, Mirai based on marriage counselor Dr. Gary Chapman’s New York Times bestseller “The 5 Love Languages.”

The game is intended to be for couples, but being solo won’t stop me from having a play-through of it courtesy of legendary game master Thomas (who has been in the cosplay community perhaps longer than me prior to his tabletop gaming venture).

Speaking of couples, Dr. Chapman’s more-than-25-years concept is actually intended for married couples who want to reignite the spark of their relationship.

Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service and Physical Touch.: According to Dr. Chapman, these are the 5 Love Languages that couples can discover and practice among themselves to improve how they deal with each other.

Prior to the development of this game, TEGR has already brought us “Hugot” which is kind of our romantic version of Cards Against Humanity, only that it’s not horrible and it relates us who are love-struck.

Back to the game, the concept is simple: Find your love language. Draw three cards from the deck, pick the one you want the most, and tally. Let’s get deeper.

Each card represents an activity that the player/s can choose from, which corresponds to one of five Love Languages. For example, one card has two icons once revealed. All of these icons are then counted to reflect which Love Language you or your partner are aligned with.

Playing through this wholesome game felt like me discovering what makes me happier and satisfied the most. Not to mention, the cute pastel artworks that Mirai has provided to each card is deeply appreciated.

Best of all, this can be a gateway game to the study understanding human behavior, better known as Psychology. Mirai is finishing her masters in Psychology while sharing fruitful pieces of advice on how to deal with people of various kinds online.

I thank TEGR and Hello, Mirai for letting me in to their abode at ESGS with their cool ice-breaker. TEGR also gave me a sneak peek on their next game to be revealed at Coslandia this weekend (by the time you have read this, you should probably see them being flocked by fans).

Jay Agonoy has been in the cosplay community for almost a decade, exploring places, meeting friends and shares stories and insights over at his personal project keepsakes. Which can be read, watched and listened to.