How to skin a game for propaganda

Held this presentation for the 2014 International Board Games Colloquium at University Campus Suffolk. The presentation talks about games that I believed were skinned to represent the ideals of the Communist Party in the Socialist Republic of Romania between 1965 - 1989 and how those ideals could be applied to a modern-day game such as Carcassone.

Transcript

3. This means that nobody can take personal control over resources. Every decision about how to use resources should ideally be made with the participation of all people, or the representatives of every group of people. Every person in a socialist society should have an equal income, and equality in housing, health care, education and recreational opportunities. The value of equality means that nobody in society has any special benefits, regardless of their production and willingness to achieve results. requires some highly motivated citizens to display a revolutionary spirit in all of their actions, renewing socialist ideas and practices in an evolving social context. The socialist value of democratic control means that all people have a right to participate in any decision that impacts them. Individuals would not need to pay for access to goods and services under socialism. Work is done on a voluntary basis and produces products for the immediate needs of people. This means that all work aims at the ideal of direct usefulness. The concept of free access to socially produced goods is summed up in the famous socialist phrase, "From each according to his abilities, to each accordingly to his needs." 3
5. 1980 Romanian communist era Monopoly clone. In this incarnation of the game players are encouraged to buy an apartment and furnish it with various items instead of the usual properties management. 5
6. “Go to the cinema: films teach you things, entertain you. – Move to 17 and pay 10” “For outstanding results at your workplace, you got a bonus. – receive 10” “You got a discounted holiday ticket to the seaside. – move to 13 and Pay 200” 6
8. A few friends went on a fox hunt. At some point along their journey, they saw a dead rabbit. Seeing as how this was July, a season when it was illegal to kill such beasts, it became obvious that this was a poaching victim. The ENIGMA! Who killed the rabbit, where and what was it killed with? Through logical deductions, you are invited to answer these three questions. 8