Pop It! with Paola Delgado
By Alixandra Rutnik on Dec 11, 2020
One Club Member creates a fun use for bubble wrap
We’re popping bubbles over here with One Club Member and Art Director Paola Delgado! Now you have another use for the bubble wrap that came around your faux christmas tree you ordered this month. Instead of immediately throwing away the bubble wrap, you can turn it into Paola’s game POP IT! – de-stress with one bubble pop after another.
Paola made some great Tik Tok videos playing POP IT! and when you hear that bubble pop, it is going to leave you wishing you had bubble wrap to play too. We got the inside scoop from Paola on her extremely-satisfying-bubble-wrap-popping game.
Let’s POP IT! Popping bubble wrap is beyond satisfying! Were you popping bubble wrap one day when this idea popped from your feet into your mind?
Indeed it is! The worldwide context played a big role in the creation of this idea. It was the beginning of the pandemic while we were all quarantining and the rates of anxiety and depression were escalating, so I wanted to do something to help.
I remember having some bubble wrap sitting around from a book my brother bought and I thought it should definitely have a second use besides being used as a wrapping material. Then I started popping the bubbles automatically and I popped the whole sheet in a matter of a few minutes.
I did some research on coping mechanisms for anxiety, and as someone that has anxious episodes, I know the solution has to do with doing things that keep you present and out of your head for as long as possible.
That’s when the gaming variable came into place. There are so many games on the internet that you can print out to better your memory or keep you focused. I thought if I could complement the relaxing feeling of popping bubble wrap with a game to keep people engaged, then I may have something interesting.
Also, this game gives a second use to a very common plastic item, and some already printed paper that we most likely recycle right away.
"I did some research on coping mechanisms for anxiety, and as someone that has anxious episodes, I know the solution has to do with doing things that keep you present and out of your head for as long as possible."
So what’s the deal with the bubble wrap and the different game editions?
The game was created with the most common bubble wrap size in mind, (the size that comes with the majority of packages) in order to reach as many people as possible.
The idea for the three editions is a way to showcase the different games and it leaves room for me to come up with other versions as well. The geometric game plays with geometric icons that repeat throughout the pattern and you need to find similar icons as you pop the bubbles. The letter edition is basically a word search game where you pop the bubbles as you find the words, and the numbers game plays with repeated numbers that you need to pop as you spot them.
Interesting stat– “Popping bubble wrap for 60 seconds has shown to release as much stress as a 33-minute massage.”– How true do you think this really is?
I think in terms of putting a clock on your stress and anxiety relief, it is very relative. There are many factors that play a role like where you are, how much disposition you have to relax, if you had an argument beforehand, etc. I believe having an object that can trigger a good stimulus could be as effective as bubble wrap if not more. Bubble wrap has a special attribute because the bubbles you pop do not come back to life. This gives an instantaneous feeling of gratification and satisfaction when completing the whole sheet of bubble wrap.
To focus on one thing at a time is an important element to this game– can you elaborate on the idea to be “present?”
This game seeks to give a break to people’s minds that are anxious and stressed due to the current world events. When you keep your focus on one activity you stop spiraling, and if this activity is also engaging like a game, it makes you be present for a longer time and it replaces the anxiety with a feeling of reward.
What would you like your players to get out of POP-IT!?
I would like to help people in these stressful times, giving people an option to distract their minds and to remind them of the importance of looking inwards and investing their time and attention on bettering their minds. Especially now.
It would also be interesting if I can inspire people to come up with their own version of my game. After all, you don’t need a big budget and a production to execute ideas that have the potential to help people or to be a thought-starter for something bigger. In any case, it’s about making a positive impact!
"When you keep your focus on one activity you stop spiraling, and if this activity is also engaging like a game, it makes you be present for a longer time and it replaces the anxiety with a feeling of reward."
One Club for Creativity Members get featured here on the One Club website and across our social media channels. Have a new project you'd love to share? An upcoming exhibition and you'd like us to help spread the word? Drop us a line at membernews@oneclub.org. We always love to know what our One Club Members have been up to, so don’t forget to send us your cool work!
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