In an attempt to transition out of hiatus, I will be posting the scripts of my Thinking Beyond Mechanisms segment. I don't plan to edit them, so there may be some differences between the audio and written versions. Take the audio as the correct version.
Anti-Intellectualism
Welcome to Thinking Beyond Mechanisms, an in depth look at the other aspects of game design, the segment that looks at some of the theory of board game design that goes beyond what typically gets covered when we learn how to design games. My name is Sarah Shipp and today I want to talk about how board games could provide an off ramp for anti-intellectualism.
Anti-intellectualism is what it sounds like and typically leads to disdain for art, history, and science. Anti-intellectuals tend to claim to be pragmatic while exhibiting a high degree of literal thinking.
I got to thinking about anti-intellectualism while sitting at a stop light contemplating my GPS. My GPS is set to not always give street names. Instead, it will say things like “take the second left” or “turn right at the stop sign.” The issue with this is that I have to take my GPS very literally. Its system counts every street, even tiny ones I might miss while driving. So if I hear “take the third right” I instantly go on alert so that I am counting correctly.
This is very similar to the literal thinking required to read rulebooks. Rulebooks eschew excess language, so words like ‘may’ do a lot of heavy lifting. “Players may draw a card” is a very different rule from “players draw a card.” So, in a sense board games train players to think literally.
However, board games also exist as metaphors. Mechanics can represent real world systems, allowing players to glimpse the complexity and interconnectedness of a system. In addition, games can provide moments of strong emotion. Board games already do all these things, but I believe if we continue to be intentional about the experiences we craft then games could have an impact on anti-intellectualism.
In spite of questioning the legitimacy of art, anti-intellectuals still consume all types of art. In the past decade or so, there have been various studies about the consumption of art and emotional intelligence. For example, attending live theatre seems to have a positive impact on empathy. Tabletop RPGs seem to have a similar benefit.
I think where board games may have a unique capability is in the scope of mental engagement players can be exposed to. The literal thinking requirement and in person socialization are approachable aspects of gaming that have a broad appeal, including to people who disdain artistic metaphors.
Surface level metaphors are an easy buy-in point to move beyond strictly literal thinking. You are not literally building a city or running a farm when you play a game; the mechanics function as metaphor. Most designers are pretty comfortable with this level of metaphor.
Where I think we need to develop is with expression of more abstract metaphors and emotions, particularly emotions that arise from abstract metaphors. Let me explain. In Deadly Dowagers, rules restrictions act as a metaphor for Victorian society’s repression of women. Now, you could argue that that level of metaphor is lost on players and there are times you would be right. However, when paired with emotion metaphor can be especially powerful.
Players encounter the restrictions in Deadly Dowagers as a subversion of expectations. The round does not end with an income phase, in spite of players building a tableau that appears like it will provide income. Instead, players are told they must wait for their husband’s death before they can receive a payout from investments.
This core restriction in the game- not receiving immediate benefit from your effort- is frustrating to players. This frustration is contextualized as a symptom of a sexist system. And then, because games are supposed to be fun, the players are allowed to upend the system as a form of catharsis.
Of course, other games exist that offer similar levels of metaphor and emotion. Games by Cole Werhle and Amabel Holland spring to mind. But if games are to help combat the literal thinking of anti-intellectualism, we need this attention to game experience for all types and complexities of game. One of the things I am most proud of about Deadly Dowagers is that the game can play in under an hour but still offers the depth of experience that it does.
I don’t think we need to approach all of game design as a way to make socio-political statements. That is not the point I am trying to make. Rather, every game could stand to be more intentional about the experience it provides with an eye towards metaphor and artistic expression. Stretching what gamers expect from games when it comes to meaning and emotion is the goal. By creating richer experiences, we get players to engage with with different modes of thinking, almost like a workout for your psyche.
And to be clear, video games are already doing this. And, at least on an anecdotal level, it works to broaden horizons of the player. But video games do not have the same literal, social, critical, metaphorical, and emotional thinking structures that board games have. Or they kind of do, but they are easier to ignore because of the pretty, flashing pixels. I’ll be revisiting the differences between board games and video games in a future episode.
I cannot guarantee that board games can impactfully address anti-intellectualism. However, much like cleaning up air pollution regardless of the impact on climate change is a good idea, stretching what types of experiences games provide is a net positive.
We should be intentional in crafting experiences. And that requires thinking beyond mechanisms to what those mechanisms can mean and express. And maybe, just maybe, we can help make the world a better place in the process.
For more ways of thinking beyond mechanisms, you can visit my blog at shipp board games dot blog spot dot com or catch future episodes of thinking beyond mechanisms on ludology.
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