One of the more creative tasks I've been asked to do, was to design a game concept for The Magic Lantern book. In the way it is played, the game needed to reflect the principles taught in the book. And in the way the game looked, it needed to reflect the story's environments.
So I designed a game that was a combination of luck, learning and strategy, with an ever-shifting landscape. The goal is to navigate from the edge to the center by making wise choices and avoiding distractions. This is metaphoric of the book, which teaches self-enlightenment.
In addition, the game needed to be inexpensive to produce and compact for portability. Here is what I came up with.