Discomfort vs. Offense

Continuing this miniseries on characters and world building, I'd like to build on some issues I touched on in my last post. 

In my own designs, I quite like making people question their assumptions. There is an element of surprise when things work out differently than you expect. There is also an element of discomfort. I don't mind that discomfort in games— if, and only if, it's there for a good reason. Discomfort can be caused by empathy, immersion, or learning uncomfortable truths. Embracing empathy as a design goal means embracing discomfort. Flash Point: Fire Rescue is often described as an uncomfortable game because you might not save everyone. This game came out a decade ago and we've only seen a handful of similarly uncomfortable themes since then. Most of the games that spring to my mind (The Grizzled, Holding On, Pandemic Legacy: Season 1) are cooperative games. I think that perhaps because cooperative games aren't inherently about player dominance, they have moved more easily away from straightforward power fantasies into new thematic territory. But while cooperative games may always be the testing ground for new types of emotional experiences, there's no inherent reason competitive games can't explore these themes as well. The thematic expression and emotional experience of a cooperative game will always be different from a competitive game, but that doesn't mean they can't both cover serious topics. 

I think that a number of game designers see the value of discomfort but choose a harmful shortcut to get there. The easiest way to achieve discomfort in players is thru an offensive theme. Not everything that is uncomfortable is offensive, but everything offensive is uncomfortable (to somebody). If offense didn't cause discomfort, it wouldn't be offensive. 

There are, however, layers to what makes something offensive. The first, surface layer, is what I think of as shock and awe. This type of offense creates nervous laughter and gasps at its irreverence. Think of it as unexpectedness (a good thing in small doses) turned up to eleven in the worst way possible. This is where Cards Against Humanity lives. The purpose of that game is to offend. The game components themselves are offensive. I don't believe shock and awe to be a redeemable quality in games. Or in anything, really. Shock and awe shuts down discourse and the possibility of other emotional experiences. 'Shutting down' is the opposite of my goal when I'm contemplating challenging themes. 

The next layer is asking players to violate taboos. Requiring players to read CAH cards out loud would fall under this category (although you can in theory play without ever speaking the cards aloud). In this layer of offense, players are actually doing the taboo-breaking. Another example is 'Spin the Bottle.' Many traditional teenage games center violating taboos. And I think that can be healthy in folk games that are at least loosely monitored by an adult. But I'm more skeptical about published games. There is plenty of space for abuse in these types of games/themes. If violating taboos were a genre someone wanted to reform in tabletop, I'd start with adding safety measures like those incorporated into indie TTRPGs or LARPs. However, I don't think board games are the best medium to explore IRL taboo-breaking. Board games are defined by written rules that imply a safely delineated social experience. Taboo-bending folk games exist in a more liminal space delineated by the social pressure of your peers. I'm not sure the two mix well. I want board games to be a haven for the socially awkward. 

Go one layer further and we find representational taboo-breaking. In these games, the characters, not the players, violate taboos. Here, finally, there is an argument both for and against. Thematic taboo-breaking can deliver a unique emotional experience and, if you are conscientious about the theme, a powerful message. On the flip side, your thematic elements might be in poor taste. Some themes may be situational and some may be non-starters. For example, killing your husband is situational. No one wants to play a 'modern-times' game about murdering their spouse. But set the game in the Victorian era and now people are willing to play. (I've literally changed peoples minds about whether they wanted to play my game, Deadly Dowagers, by clarifying the setting.) On the other hand, a game about adults hurting little kids is a non-starter. Punching down is always in poor taste, and there are some things that we cannot frame in a way that makes them more palatable. 

The next layer skirts the edge of taboo-breaking: making the unsympathetic sympathetic. This may be an unintentional result of using a difficult theme or of making a villain the main character. This layer and the previous rely on framing to avoid being offensive. You don't want to treat serious topics tritely. Taking serious topics seriously is the easiest way to stay out of trouble. But you also run the risk of celebrating a topic even if you treat it seriously. Making the villains the heroes is one way to accidentally celebrate evil acts. But so is making a Euro-centric game about colonialism. Personally, I think that fictional villains are a better way to go than historical atrocities. But some issues (i.e. slavery) should remain unsympathetic regardless of the setting. Make sure the unsympathetic stays unsympathetic in your game, unless you have a powerful reason to create a sympathetic villain. Regardless, be intentional and empathetic when handling unsympathetic themes. 

Finally, misrepresentation of another culture is offensive. I place this one last because it is often the most well-intentioned as well as unintentional. Cultural inaccuracies can range from the annoying to the harmful. If you aren't willing to do the necessary research and sensitivity tests, you are likely better off creating a fictional setting or designing with a theme from your own culture. Even then, many fictional tropes are stolen from marginalized cultures (i.e. shamans). There is a culture of exoticism in board games that feels eighty years behind the times. Blatant inaccuracies translate to your audience as "The designer did not care; they were just looking to profit off someone else's culture." It's past time to let different cultures speak for themselves. 

Your design reflects your values. You must be intentional and empathetic when designing difficult themes. Listen to feedback about your theme. Don't include something just because it sounds cool. The more you want players to be uncomfortable the more carefully you have to tread. 

ShippBoard Games is a board game design blog that updates most Mondays.