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Board games: The politics of play

How do board games encourage players to explore ideas, politics and morals?

How do board games encourage players to explore ideas, politics and morals?

We meet Matt Leacock, designer of the game Pandemic, which has been used at medical schools to encourage co-operation, communication and strategy for trainees.

Reiner Knizia, designer of 700 board games, talks about how making a game out of tasks can change players' behaviour in daily life.

We explore the rise of a new generation of games where players collaborate, rather than oppose each other, in titles that deal with politics, hip-hop, ecology, employment, climate change and more. Quintin Smith from Shut Up & Sit Down discusses new trends in design, while Michelle Browne, designer of World of Work, tells us about the game that explores employment and social benefits.

Presented and produced by Zo毛 Comyns.

A New Normal production for the 大象传媒 World Service

Image: The board game Pandemic (Courtesy of Matt Leacock)

Available now

27 minutes

Last on

Mon 21 Dec 2020 10:06GMT

Broadcasts

  • Sat 19 Dec 2020 02:32GMT
  • Sat 19 Dec 2020 05:32GMT
  • Sat 19 Dec 2020 17:06GMT
  • Sun 20 Dec 2020 00:06GMT
  • Sun 20 Dec 2020 05:32GMT
  • Mon 21 Dec 2020 10:06GMT

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