Pillow Talk, a card game created by the BU Student Health Services Condom Fairy, comes with three themed decks: the Sexploration Deck, the Pleasure Deck, and the Communication Deck. Photo courtesy of BU Student Health Services

Student Life

Student Health Services Launches Pillow Talk Card Game for Candid Conversations about Sexual Health

Prompts help students discuss their sexual priorities, communicate, ask what feels good, and set boundaries

Have you ever wished talking about sex could be less awkward and more fun?

Enter Pillow Talk, a new card game from Boston University Student Health Services that aims to help students talk more easily about sex and sexual health and have fun with friends, partners, or even alone.

The game, launched last month, was created as part of the SHS Condom Fairy program, which delivers safer sex supplies directly to BU students’ mailboxes for free. Now, the program sends the Pillow Talk game for free, too.

The inspiration for Pillow Talk came directly from BU students, says Sarah Voorhees (SPH’13), SHS Health Promotion & Prevention assistant director of substance use, recovery, and sexual well-being.

Voorhees says SHS regularly surveys students for feedback, and help with communication has consistently topped the list of students’ sexual health challenges and requests. In spring 2024, a student specifically suggested creating a sexual health and communication card game, which was perfect timing since SHS was already working on a similar project.

“We decided to marry those two ideas together, and Pillow Talk was born,” says Lydia Giersch (SPH’23), SHS Health Promotion & Prevention marketing and health promotion coordinator.

Giersch says the Condom Fairy program was “the best messenger” for implementing PillowTalk. “It’s been around for 12 years, so it has had a lot of time to build trust within the student body,” she says. “Also, students regularly get health information and safer sex supplies from us, so we already had a direct connection where we mail things to their mailbox all the time.”

Pillow Talk features three themed decks, each designed to guide different types of conversations: the Sexploration Deck helps participants explore their sexual priorities and comfortableness; the Pleasure Deck is akin to its name: asking what feels good; and the Communication Deck is focused on how to improve communication around sex and help initiate conversations about setting boundaries and figuring out how to best communicate with your partner. The game also throws in wild cards and fun facts to mix things up. And the best part? There’s no right or wrong way to play.

“This is really a choose your own adventure… There’s a lot of different ways you can play, so it’s kind of a conversation starter,” Giersch says. “The point is that it’s a tool for you to explore with yourself and with others these different topics about sex and sexual health and pleasure.”

The game is designed to be inclusive, regardless of relationship status, sexual activity, or gender. 

SHS began working on the project in July and held a focus group in September with eight students who gave feedback on Pillow Talk’s questions, gameplay, and overall design. SHS Student Ambassadors also contributed ideas for questions, ensuring they were “relevant and not too cheesy, but just fun enough,” Giersch says. And the project wouldn’t exist without student involvement, she says, from the initial suggestion in the Condom Fairy survey to the development, design, and distribution of the final Pillow Talk game. “Students have really been involved every step of the way,” she says.

At its core, Pillow Talk is more than just a game. SHS hopes it will help BU students feel more confident about having open, honest conversations about sexual health, both during the game and beyond—whether it includes talking to a doctor about birth control, getting tested for STIs (sexually transmitted infections), or simply feeling more confident about their needs and boundaries.

And remember, when it comes to having difficult, and sometimes uncomfortable, conversations about sex, it’s all about communication—and maybe a little help from the Condom Fairy. 

Want to try out a Pillow Talk card deck? Enter the code “PILLOWTALK” in your next Condom Fairy order from the SHS website. You can also pick up a free deck at the upcoming Sex in the Dark event on Monday, April 7, from 7 to 8:30 pm in the School of Law auditorium.