Nyiyaparli Living Language Project launches mobile game to help save critically endangered 41,000-year-old Nyiyaparli language via DEPT

When a language disappears, a community loses not just words, but the cultural heartbeat of their identity, the stories of their ancestors, and the very sense of belonging that binds them to their country and to themselves. To help preserve their critically endangered language, the Nyiyaparli Living Language Project (NLLP) has been launched as an innovative smartphone game ‘Nyiyaparli Widi‘ via DEPT®, that teaches words and meanings to new generations.

With only eight fluent Nyiyaparli speakers remaining from their 41,000-year-old culture – down from 11 speakers just 18 months ago – this grassroots initiative harnesses technology as a force for cultural preservation. This is a story of cultural revival, driven not by textbooks or classrooms, but by community, kids and clever technology.

“We keep telling kids to get off their phones – but here’s a story where staying on the phone might just help save a language and the cultural knowledge it unlocks,” says Leonard Michael Stream, a member of the Nyiyaparli Living Language Project Cultural Working Group.

Nyiyaparli Widi (‘widi’ means game in Nyiyaparli) transforms language learning into an engaging mobile experience that combines exploration gameplay with cultural education – think location-based adventure gaming meets language immersion. The game features:

●      Real words from the critically endangered Nyiyaparli language, spoken by Nyiyaparli senior language speakers, kids and adults

●      Real Pilbara locations and sites of Nyiyaparli cultural significance are used as in-game missions

●      Voices of elders passed, Senior Language speakers, parents, and kids

●      “Paathupaathu Points” (respect points) earned for collecting Nyiyaparli cultural items

Players explore Nyiyaparli Yurlu (country) in Western Australia’s Pilbara region, traveling from Ngawanykurrana (14-Mile) stockyards to significant locations including the Chichester Ranges, Ethel Creek Station, and Newman township.

Karlka Nyiyaparli Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC, representing the Nyiyaparli community, partnered with global digital agency DEPT® to develop the game through an extensive community-led process. Early in development, DEPT® team members travelled to Western Australia to spend time with the community and attend community meetings.

“This project shows that when technology serves culture rather than consuming it, innovation can breathe new life into critically endangered languages,” says Evan Davey, Head of Australia & New Zealand, DEPT®. “Technology becomes truly transformative when it’s guided by community wisdom and authentic collaboration. Working with the NLLP team and Nyiyaparli community taught us that the most meaningful digital experiences come from genuine partnership.”

DEPT® ensured every design decision reflected real Nyiyaparli Country locations and lived experiences. The collaboration prioritised cultural authenticity and community ownership over external creative direction.

The game demonstrates how technology can create a positive cultural impact in an age where digital tools often threaten indigenous cultures. Nyiyaparli Widi shows how mobile gaming can instead become a powerful ally in cultural preservation, engaging both young people and adults in learning their ancestral language through play.

Play Nyiyaparli Widi: https://nyiyaparli.live/widi –  Nyiyaparli Widi now available on the Apple iOS Store and Google Play