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Business as Usual
A board game design project made to criticize the
human way of living as if Earth was disposable.
Författare : Irma Pettersson
Handledare : Cassandra
Troyan & Matilda Plöjel
Examinator : Mathilda Tham
Termin : VT20
Ämne : Visual Communication
+ Change
Nivå : Bachelor of Fine Arts
Kurskod : 2DI68E
Abstract This report and design project will explore a way design can be used as a tool to create change. The process will include theoretical research on the relation between free-market capitalism and climate change. The outcome of the design project will take the shape of a board game and will work as a tool in discussions about social structures, capitalism, and climate change. The purpose of the game is to invite the players to question the human behavior of living as if Earth was disposable. Keywords Capitalism, Climate Crisis, Board Game, Change, Design
Table of Content
Introduction
1.1. Background
1.2. Project Aim and Personal Why
Context
2.1. Earth and a changing climate
2.2. Capitalism and a changing climate
2.3. Survival of the richest
Method
Design process & Reflections
4.1. Playing and Analysing Board Games
4.2. Board Game Design Course
4.3. Iterative design and Collaboration
4.4. Context and Target group
4.5. Design Choices
Conclution
Reference List
Introduction 1.1. Background The term “crisis” originates from the Greek word “krisis” meaning judgment or decision (Davies, 2020). Cambridge Dictionary (2020) describes a crisis as a time of suffering, confusion, or great disagreement. A crisis could end in a good or a bad way, but the point is that during the crisis the outcome is fundamentally uncertain (Davies, 2020). This design project and report are conducted during such crises. The COVID-19 pandemic is currently spreading like an unstoppable wildfire across the world. On the cover of every magazine, you see screaming headlines about death and panic at overcrowded hospitals. On the news channels, you listen to experts arguing and politicians make drastic decisions while trying to calm the crowds. People are scared of losing their jobs and financial stability due to businesses closing down. People are scared of getting sick or losing friends and family members. We scroll through a social media feed filled with reminders of how to wash our hands and how to behave like a responsible citizen. We blame each other for being too scared and egocentric when buying extra toilet paper and simultaneously criticize each other for not being scared enough when breaking social distancing. We live in a time where it seems like no one knows what is going to happen but everyone has an opinion. No one is denying that the Corvid-19 pandemic has become a worldwide crisis, a time of suffering, confusion, and great disagreement. This design project is about another ongoing crisis parallel to the pandemic outbreak, a crisis referred to as climate change. Compared to the Corvid-19 pandemic, this crisis is not always defined as a crisis. Looking at climate change in relation to the Cambridge Dictionary’s definition of a crisis, the changing climate will, in this report, be defined as a crisis.
Suffering. The main human impact on the climate is an enhanced greenhouse effect, which heats the lower atmosphere. This enhancement is caused by an increase in concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, mainly carbon dioxide produced when burning fossil- fuel (Mann and Kump, 2015). A rising temperature on earth leads to vicious storms, melting glaciers, extreme droughts, and will eventually put major cities underwater (Klein, 2014). The consequences of climate change are happening right now. People are already trying to adapt to a changing environment while others are being forced to evacuate in order to survive (UNHCR, 2020). In the year 2050 scientists estimate that there will be a range between 25 million and 1 billion climate refugees across the world. These kinds of predictions are always difficult to make and no one can be certain of exactly what will happen in the future (Migration and Climate Change, 2008). What we do know is that if we continue on our current path, allowing emissions to keep rising year after year, the climate will change everything about this world (Klein, 2014). Confusion. The climate crisis can definitely be confusing, especially if you can’t see the effects of it right in front of you. Nevertheless, just because climate change isn’t coming towards us fast like an asteroid hitting the earth [or a pandemic outbreak] does not mean that the potential devastation is not just as real (Wagner and Weitzman, 2015). But who can you trust when some claim this to be the most critical issue facing our planet while others say that climate change is a hoax? What is your personal responsibility, do you even have one? Disagreement. On one side we have climate scientists, where there is a mutual agreement that humans are the primary cause of recent global warming (Herring, 2020). On the other side of the spectrum, we have people agreeing with the current leader of the largest economy in the world, Donald Trump, denying the human effect on climate change and accusing climate scientists of having a “political agenda” (BBC News,
2018). Among the people who have accepted climate change as a fact, there’s also a great disagreement on how to solve the problem. Some claim that it can be solved through new sustainable inventions while others demand a radical structural change. During the pandemic, we have witnessed humanity pulling the emergency brake. Many companies have employees working from home, people have limited their traveling and consuming and air traffic is restricted. In the blogpost Corona and the Climate: 5 Lessons We Can Learn (Meissner and Savini, 2020), the authors argue the corona crises have shown us that if we want to create a change with regulations, it’s possible within hours. The coronavirus is treated as a crisis while the environmental crises are not, even though scientists expect global heating to have far more severe consequences in the long run (Carrington, 2020). Humans are currently ruling this planet with an economic system, capitalism, made to maximize profit for a few, instead of maximizing the health and well-being of the planet as a whole. Economic growth is an unchallenged standard around the world and politicians on both national and local levels are failing to meet set climate goals and take the action needed for change (Hultman, et al. 2016). In the shape of a board game, this design project will criticize the human behavior of living as if Earth was disposable. The game does not claim to provide a solution to the climate crisis nor cover all problems surrounding it. However, it can be used as a starting point when talking about social structures, capitalism, and climate change.
1.2. Project Aim and Personal Why This board game will be created to provide an alternative way to interact with the topic of climate change. Rather than scrolling through the news, you will now be sitting down around a table together, play and discuss the topic. Growing up games and play has in some form been a part of the majority of people’s lives, including my own. Games make you think, learn, discuss, negotiate, laugh, get greedy, become someone else, work together as a team, or stab each other in the back. Games can be filled with stories and metaphors, reflecting our society. Sometimes demanding complex strategies and other times pure luck. During the process of this design project, I have been reflecting on board games that I have played in the past and have realized that there are many games out there based on capitalistic, conservative, and colonial ideals. Games like Monopoly where the goal is to make as much money as you possibly can, capitalism on other players’ loss. Games like Chess where you do everything you can to protect the monarchy. Where the farmers get placed on the frontline to sacrifice their life, with the promise that they can become whatever they want if they just work hard enough and get across to the other side. Games like Risk where your aim is to rule the world, or Catan, where the players represent settlers establishing colonies. It is not surprising that people take for granted the economic-, social institutions, and structures within which they carry on with their daily activities. Hence, not questioning board games being based on the same structures and ideals. I have personally never questioned what happened to the people living on the island of Catan before the settlers came, nor questioned why would I desire to take over the world. What actual effect does it have when I steel resources? And why am I sacrificing a farmer in order to save the king? It is simply not a part of the game to question the game. The board game created through this design process will be based on capitalistic ideals. All though, compared to the other games mentioned
before, this game will aim to widen the player’s perspective, question greed, and give consequences to the actions you take. Often when talking about climate change there is a focus on what the individual can do to make a difference. In this design project, I would like to shift the focus from the individual responsibility towards the structure of our society. This is an area where change is needed, something is fundamentally broken with a global economic system that is built upon the exploitation of humans, land, and animals. Context 2.1. Earth and a changing climate Planet Earth, the third planet from the sun. With a size and mass that makes it the fifth largest planet in our solar system. The only planet known by humans that is able to harbour life (Jeanloz, R. Chapman & I. Lunine, 2020). We live on this 4.5 billion-year-old planet (Pavid, n.d.). Together we’re spinning around a sun, in this perhaps endlessness universe with a massive globe underneath our feet. Stars, moons planets, and infinity above, to all sides and below. Think of all the factors that played a part in making it possible for us to live here right now. All the time in history that has passed, leading up to right this moment when you are reading this text. This is the only place, we know of, where life can live. How come the human species are sabotaging Earth, the one ecosystem that is keeping us alive? Homosapiens, the modern human species, have only existed for about 200,000 years. During that time, we have managed to radically alter - in a potentially irreversible way - the chemical, physical, and biological systems that we, together with all other organisms, depend upon. Human activities like urbanization, industrialization, agriculture, deforestation, and pollution - are the reasons behind a warmer and no longer stable climate (Pavid, n.d.).
Burning fossil has, for more than a century, generated most of the energy required to drive our cars, run our businesses, and use electricity in our homes (Denchak, 2018). The demand for oil keeps increasing and without it, the whole system of the industrial economy would collapse. Oil is affecting the lifestyles of people all around the world, not only is it used to power our vehicles, but you will also find it in plastic, medicine, building materials, paint, textiles, and so on (Leggewie and Welzer, 2010). 2.2. Capitalism and a changing climate Capitalism is the dominant economic system in the world today. Through production, distribution, and exchange, capitalism has contributed to a dramatic increase in living standards in industrialized countries. The material prosperity of capitalism, however, has not reached the majority of the people in the world. Instead, it is currently being manifested as acute environmental destruction and social injustices. Capitalism lives on as the dream of ever-expanding profitability. In order to reach maximum profitability, a business can lower its production cost or expanding their sales. No matter the business strategy used, it is not possible to push the production cost below zero whilst there’s no limit to how much you can potentially increase your sales. That is why the core of the capitalistic process is to expand sales and accumulate capital. On one hand, we have planet Earth, with a given amount of resources and ability to absorb pollution and on the other hand, an economic system designed for ever-expanding production and consumption. Looking at capitalism through this lens, it is clear that the equation does not add up. It is simply impossible for humans to continuously live like we are currently living (Lippit, 2005). Green capitalism has so far failed to solve the climate emergency (Fowkes & Fowkes, 2014). This is why it is important to question green capitalism and remember that “sustainable capitalism” is still capitalism, striving for ever-expanding profitability.
2.3. Survival of the richest
Survivalism, the practice of preparing for a major disaster, an event
that will lead to the end of civilization as we know it. For a long time
the image of a ‘prepper’, a person who is preparing for disaster, has
been the conspiracy theorist with a tinfoil hat stocking up on beans
and weapons together with the religious doomsayer shouting about
the end of the world. Lately, however, survivalism has become more
mainstream and even moved its way into the richest neighborhoods,
like Silicon Valley and New York City (Carville, 2018). The difference
being that rich ‘preppers’ have the means to put complex plans into
action (Osnos, 2017).
The Vivos Project is a business selling massive underground survival
shelters, with the slogan “The Backup Plan For Humanity” (Vivos,
n.d.). The founder, Robert Vicino, states that the elite of Silicon Valley
is preparing themselves for climate change or a revolution where the
society will be going after them, the 1%. Many bunkers have been
Image 2 : Inside The World’s Largest Underground Survival Communitybuilt in New Zealand and former prime minister John Key comment
the situation by saying “We live in a world where some people have
extraordinary amounts of wealth and there comes a point at which,
when you have so much money, allocating a very tiny amount of that for
‘Plan B’ is not as crazy as it sounds”(Osnos, 2017).
For some, however, that plan B is a planet B; preparing for the survival
of humanity by building a society on Mars. Andy Weir, the author of
the novel The Martian claims that we humans need to go Mars because
it will protect us from extinction. That there are all sorts of things that
could happen on earth that could kill all humans on the planet, but
once humans are on two different planets the odds of extinction drop to
nearly zero. Founder of SpaceX, Elon Musk, states in an interview that
the long term goal of SpaceX is to develop the technology necessary
to establish a self-sustaining city on Mars. “I think it is important for
us to get to a self-sustaining situation on Mars as soon as possible.
Because we’re either we are going to become a multilayered species and
a spacefaring civilization, or we’re going to be stuck on the planet until
some eventual extinction event”(Mars, 2016).
Image 3 : Illustration Of Spacex’s Crew Dragon SpaceshipMethod The following methods will be used during this design process: • Playing and Analyzing Board Games • Board Game Design Course • Iterative design and Collaboration • Reflection By playing board games while actively analyze the different components and visual language, through that gain insights on what could be done during this project process. Furthermore, I will participate in an online game development course. Being a person who has never created a new board game before, this will point me in the direction of where to start. An iterative and collaborative design process will shape this design project. In an iterative design process, making a board game, the rules, design, and concept will be tested, reviewed, tweaked, and tested again in collaboration with other people. Once the iteration is done, you will playtest the game again (Burrett and Davidson, n.d.). This pattern of creating, testing, and reviewing will repeat itself like a feedback loop throughout the whole design project and will be an essential part of developing this board game. During the process, experiments with narratives, different materials, colors, and visual language will be made. To stay on topic, I will continually go back and reflect on the following questions: what exactly am I criticizing? What is my goal with the game? How do you win? How do I want the players to feel when playing the game?
Design process & Reflections 4.1. Playing and Analyzing Board Games As a research method during the design process, I have played many board games to get a better idea of what I want the board game to look like. From simple, quick, and luck-oriented board games like Yatzy, Exploding kittens, Wizard, and various card games to more complex strategy games like Settlers of Catan, Dominion, and Bloc by Bloc. Through research I have found board games related to the topic of climate change or are in other ways norm critical. This research was conducted in order to to see what is already out there and to be able to position myself in the field. Monopoly. The classic property trading game where you buy and sell in order to collect as much capital from the other players as possible. The one game that brings out the greed in most people and, after playing it, makes you reconsider being friends with the other players. While researching Monopoly further I was surprised to find out that the game was first designed and patented by left-wing feminist Lizzie Magie, 1903 (Pilon, 2015). It turns out that the board game that we now know as Monopoly used to be called The Landlord Game and was made to criticize greedy landlord exploiting their tenants. The game circulated, in homemade versions, around the United States and was used as a tool to raise awareness around the issue and promote a cure for greedy landlords — the single tax on property owners. The game concept was later copied, renamed Monopoly, and are now the best selling privately patented board game in history (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2017). Inspired by Lizzie Magie, it would be interesting to make a similar
game to Monopoly as we know it today, where you do everything in your
power to get rich but at the same time show the backside of capitalism
while you’re playing. This could mean that even if you would win the
game, you would discover what consequences your actions have had
on the world. Therefor, the game would hopefully make you reconsider
calling yourself a winner, even after winning according to the rule book.
Image 4 : Skogen Board Game
Skogen. The name Skogen is Swedish and translates to The Forest. This
is a board game developed by a biologist named Daniel Thorell. You will
start the game with an empty forest and then it is up to the players to fill
the forest with life. In order for all species to thrive, certain conditions
must be fulfilled. The idea is that you learn about nature while you play.
The game will teach you about species, the relationships between them,
and the importance of biodiversity (Skogen, n.d.).
What really excites me about the concept behind this board game is
that you will learn things while playing, without perhaps having the
intention to learn. Using games like this, as a tool in school could be a
way of engaging students in a topics and start a conversations. Playing
games in the classroom could also be a way to include students who
are not necessarily interested or those who find it hard to focus while
reading.Image 5 : Bloc by Bloc Board Game Bloc by Bloc. This is a board game inspired by 21st-century urban insurrections. A game where people of different backgrounds come together to combat oppressive forces. During the game, you occupy districts, build barricades, and vandalize stores and police vehicles. Every player is in charge of a faction of revolutionaries with different qualities- prisoners, workers, students, or Neighbours. Playing the game made me feel anger towards the police and companionship towards the other players. Realizing that I want to create a game that stirs up emotions within the players. Bloc by Bloc has been developed over a span of several years. Playing this game made also me realize that the game I’m creating needs to be quite simple in its mechanics. To make a complex game, with different strategies and rules would demand a larger time budget than I currently have for this project.
4.2. Board Game Design Course On the online learning platform Udemy.com, I participated in a course called The board Game Developer: Become a Game Design Ninja. Studying a board game design course is not necessary to create a board game. However, doing an online course have been helpful to me considering the time frame of the project and the fact that I have never created a game before. The design course provided different approaches to where to start when designing a board game. All involving three key components to keep in mind: player experience, board game mechanics, and the theme. Player Experience. Deciding the player experience is when you decide how people want to feel while playing your board game. Do you want the players to feel powerful, adventurous or sneaky? Do you want the players to be confused, scared, or angry? How is the intensity of the game; will you feel relaxed, stressed, or even frantic while playing? Mechanics. The way the board game work and the things you can do while playing, is called the board game mechanics. The rules will tell you how to use the mechanic and every mechanic will have a specific name. A mechanic could be the way you are allowed to move, how you eliminate another player, or in which turn order you are playing. Theme. This is decides where the game takes place. What is the location and time period? Is there an important background story to get the player in the right mood before playing the game? 4.3. Iterative design and Collaboration Throughout the design process, I have collaboratively explored different ways of generating new ideas: post-it notes workshops, story writing, playtesting, and putting new twists on already existing board games. Through these explorations some key elements have always been considered:
• Who are you as the player/ character in the game?
• What is the setting/ theme of the game?
• Player experience: what feelings will the player have during the game?
• What is the goal of the game, how do you win?
Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, everyone has been doing their best to
keep social distance and the collaboration possibilities to develop a
board game have been somewhat limited. Nasra Ibrahim Rashiid and
Jonathan Nilsson, both visual communication students, have been
the two people that I have been spending time with during this crisis,
and they have both played a big part in the development of this design
project.
Image 6: Post-it Workshop
After figuring out the background story and the shape of some of the
board game tokens, I arranged a zoom workshop inviting Morgan
Haselden, a board game tournament event host, and Alexander Davey,
a game enthusiast. Together we talked about game mechanics and used
an excel sheet trying to come up with rules together. The workshop went
for over three hours and in the end, we had a functioning game. The
mechanics were interesting, using different cards with actions, defense,
and attacks. However, the background story got somewhat lost and the
tempo of the game was not reflecting the urgency of the crisis, whichI wanted the game to do. The workshop with Morgan and Alexander
have been very important to this design process, even though I had to
tweak the game mechanics we designed together.
Image 7: Zoom Workshop
All the rules in the game have been developed through an iterative
design process. This means that every single time someone comes
up with a new rule you test it to see if it works, tweak it, and test it
again. If you change too many rules at the same time its difficult to
understand which new rule is working and which is not. Testing every
iteration collaboratively turns the process into a continuous feedback
loop running throughout the whole design project.
The collaboration with 3D-specialist, Daniel Gustavsson has made a
tremendous difference in the visual appearance of the board game. At
first, the space rocket was, just like the fire tokens, made out of clay.
This, however, made the rocket look quite childish and far from the
intended aesthetic. Changing the material from clay into metal-infused
plastic made the token resemble something made in a factory, which
was more suiting for the rocket-ship. It was interesting to experience
the whole process of 3D printing: from choosing material and make a
3D model to finally see your design come out of the printer.Introduction
On a planet called earth, the human species are currently going all-in for
self-destruction. This dominant species are using the planet as if there were
no tomorrow. Their activities are turning up the heat on the planet. The in-
creasing temperatures are causing the ice to melt, wildfires to spread, de-
structive storms to rage, and species to go extinct. Major cities and ancient
cultures are soon to be swallowed by the ocean. Thirsty animals and humans
are searching long and far for a new place to call home. In order to prevent
this grim future, humans have to act now and change their way of living.
Meanwhile on earth
Will you make it
out alive before You are a proud CEO of one of the largest oil corporations on the planet and
its too late? you are not changing a darn thing. Why would you? You have made it. You
are a big shot. The boss. Success is your middle name. The oil industry has
for a long time been criticized on causing harm to the planet but you laugh
in the face of climate change. The world might be burning but you know a
way out and are now fighting for a ticket to take you out of here. The harder
you push your employees to build your legacy, provide fuel for the humans,
and to get yourself a rocketship ticket, the harder the planet will suffer.
To be able to build your oil empire to the top, you will have to avoid climate
catastrophes, bomb your competition, and steal resources that aren’t yours
to take. If you work hard enough you will be able to snatch the last spot on
the rocket ship out of this earthly misery.
Components Set-up
60 Oil blocks, wood The game board is divided
32 Wildfire tokens, clay into two sides, you will have
2 Action dice, with symbols one side each.
2 Number dice, with numbers
1 Rocket ship, 3D printed In the middle of the game
1 Game board, carboard board, you will make 2 piles
1 Rule book with 5 resource blocks in
each pile.
On top of these 2 piles, you
Basic
will place the spaceship.
Structure
On the side of the game
board, you will place the
remaining resource blocks
This is a very fast-paced 2 player and all the fire tokens.
game. You will both roll your dice
and do actions simultaneously as Both players will have two
fast as you can, over and over again. dice each. One number die
and one Action die.
The aim is to build three stairs out of
the oil blocks, all the way up to the
top, avoid the wildfire and finally grab
the rocket ship and take off.
Stairs Examples, 3 stairs
In order to expand your oil empire, climb the ladder of society, You will build 3 separate stairs to the top. All three stairs
and save your seat on the space rocket, you will have to build have to go all the way up without sharing steps with one another.
3 separate stairs all the way up to the space rocket.
Examples, 1 stair These work
These don’t
Image 8: Rulebook pt.1Actions Example
You will roll the action dice and the number dice at the same time.
The action dice will tell you what action you will do and the number
dice will tell you how many times you will do the action. You roll both dice, on the action Simultaneously, the other player
die there’s a fire and the number rolls a thief and the number 2.
die shows number 2.
Actions
This means that you will steal
You take two fires and place two oil blocks from the other
Oil. Fire.
them in any square on your side player.
Place a oil block on your side Place a fire on your
of the board.
on the board. side on the board.
This time the action die shows
And then you roll again. the oil symbol and the number
die shows number 3.
Bomb. Thief.
Attack the other player by Steel a oil block from This time you get bomb on your
moving a fire from your side of the other player. action die and number 1 on The player places 3 oil blocks
the board to the other players your number die. wherever they want on their
side of the board. side of the board.
You take one fire from your side Then the player quickly rolls
of the board and place it to the the dice again.
other player’s side of the board.
End of Game
Leaving Earth Burn
You win the game when you are able Sometimes you both really
to grab the spaceship. You can only mess up and destroy planet Earth
grab the spaceship if you manage to without anyone being able to
build three separate stairs, all clear leave. This happens when you
of fire, all the way up to the top. do roll a bomb but there’s no
Well done, you will now leave the where to place your attack, all of
burning planet and everyone that the other players’ oil blocks are
lives there behind. already on fire. Everyone dies.
Great job.
Change
If you don’t like where this is going
and you want a better ending for
the world, feel free to come up with
some new rules and direction for
the game.
Discussion
Climate change is a complex topic and this game is not made to
provide a solution to the crisis nor cover all problems surrounding it.
However, it can be used as a starting point when talking about social
structures, capitalism, and climate change. Here are some questions
to ponder about together:
• How do you interpret the board game?
• How does this board game make you feel? Why?
• Who is the winner in this game?
• What other natural disasters, other than forest fires,
do we see in the world due to climate change?
• What other businesses, other than the oil industry,
do you know of that are harming the planet, animals, and humans?
• How does climate change affect humans and other species?
• How does capitalism affect humans and other species?
• Who is responsible for climate change?
• Some believe that leaving Earth and settling on Mars is
the only way to secure humans from going extinct. What is your
thoughts on this? Can you think of alternative ways to secure the
future of humanity?
• What would the rules look like if the goal of the game was to
save the planet?
• Is this board game political?
• What flaws does this board game have?
Image 9: Rulebook pt.24.5. Context and Target group The game is designed to be played over and over again together with your friends. The structure of the game is now based on luck and speed and can thereby be understimulating for someone that enjoys strategy heavy board games, yet overstimulating for someone that isn’t able to move fast enough or is sensitive to stress. The game could also be used as a tool for teachers and work as a good starting point when talking about social structures, capitalism, and climate change. After playing the game in groups, the students could discussions questions similar to following: • How do you interpret the board game? • How does this board game make you feel? • Who is the winner in this game? • What other natural disasters, other than forest fires, do we see in the world due to climate change? • What other businesses, other than the oil industry, do you know of that is harming the planet? • Are there any businesses that are good for the environment? • How does climate change affect humans and other species? • How does capitalism affect humans and other species? • Who is responsible for climate change? • Some people believe that leaving earth and settling on Mars is the only way to secure humans from going extinct, is there other ways to secure the future of humanity? • What would this game look like if the goal was to save the planet? • Is this board game political? • What flaws does this board game have?
4.5. Design Choices During this process one thing became clear, I want to redirect the responsibility of climate change away from the individual consumer, towards society as a whole. When you are done playing I want you to feel frustration towards the system instead of putting all the weight of climate change on your own shoulders. Managing to cover all levels of complexity of both climate change, capitalism and privilege, however, was too big of a challenge considering the timeframe of this project. For the project to be manageable I narrow it down accordingly: Earth → Game Board Disasters → Wildfire Tokens Resources → Oil Blocks Creating Disaster → Player Actions Capitalism → Game structure + Rules Survival of the Richest → Space-Rocket During the start-up of this process, Australia was on fire. This has continually been on my mind and the wildfire has, in the game, become a symbol of natural disasters, global warming, and danger. All the natural resources being exploited by humans will in the game be represented by oil. Together the fire and oil first of all symbolises the burning of fossil fuels and secondly the humans behaviour of continuously making the situation worse by “throwing fuel to the fire”. Visual References. Black and orange are the colors used continuously throughout the design project. The color orange is used as a symbol of fire, heat, drought, and black is used as a representation of space and fossil fuels. Choosing a limited amount of bold colors was inspired by the artwork of Extinction Rebellion. Extinction Rebellion is a non-violent global movement that aims to pressure governments into taking action on the mass extinction of animals and climate change. Clive Russell, a member of the Extinction Rebellion graphic design
Image 10: Extiontion Rebellion group, states that all previous eco-movement has failed. Therefore Extinction Rebellion aims to create something that looks radically different, “not too hippy nor too dull” (Block, 2019). The style of the illustration and layout used throughout this design project is on one side influenced by the technical illustrations used by SpaceX among other corporate businesses. SpaceX is using visuals that I personally interpret as an attempt to look professional, technically advanced, and future- oriented. On the other side, the project has been influenced by a more
playful visual language, inspired by video games, sci-fi- and futuristic
movies I have seen and played throughout my life. The contrast of these
two elements is making the visual language serious yet playful.
Image 11: SpaceX Website
Materials. During the process of making the board game, I have been
going back and forth trying to understand exactly what materials would
work the best and I ended up with clay, wood, metal infused plastic,
and cardboard. The wooden blocks are easy to stack on top of each
other without falling down. The fire tokens made of clay are shaped
in a way that they are easy to lift and move quickly. Like mentioned
before, 3D-print has been used in order to get the specific details on
the space-rocket and the customized dice. One could argue that the
whole game should be 3D printed in order to look like a “real game” or
that nothing should be 3D-printed, due to the use of plastic. However, I
found the contrast between the organically shaped wildfire tokens and
the factory-made space-rocket interesting, like nature vs machines.
It’s important to keep in mind that the final outcome of this project will
be a prototype. If this game would be made, produced, and distributed ona larger scale the materials would probably be of a different kind.
Metaphors. While playing, the game will change and take the shape
of a pyramid. The pyramid could be interpreted as the hierarchy in
society. If the earth was to be destroyed and only a selected few had the
opportunity to leave the planet for something else, my guess is that a
seat on that rocketship would not be saved for someone like me or you.
Assuming that you, the reader of this text, isn’t a part of the richest
0.01% in the world. That is why, in the game, you will only be able to
leave Earth after you have built your wealth to the top.
In the game, the wildfire will start to spread on the bottom layer of the
pyramid and work its way up. This could be viewed as a comment: the
one that suffers the most in climate crises (or any other crises related
to capitalism for that matter) is the human, or other species, without
privilege and capital.
Image 12: Business as UsualEnd of game. As written in the rulebook, the game can end in three
different ways:
Leaving Earth - winning?
You win the game when you are able to grab the spaceship.
You can only grab the spaceship if you manage to build
three separate stairs, all clear of fire, all the way up to the
top. Well done, you will now leave the burning planet and
everyone that lives there behind.
Burn
Sometimes you both really mess up and destroy planet
Earth without anyone being able to leave. This happens
when you do roll a bomb but there’s no where to place
your attack, all of the other players’ oil blocks are already
on fire. Everyone dies. Great job.
Change
If you don’t like where this is going and you want a better
ending for the world, feel free to come up with some new
rules and direction for the game.
The first way of ending the game is called Leaving Earth and is
described as the way you win the game. You have used earth and tossed
it away after you are done with it. Hopefully, this will bring up some
discussions between the players. Can you call yourself a winner when
you manage to save your own skin, but leaving the rest of the planet
in flames? Can you call yourself successful if your success is rooted in
other people’s suffering?
The second alternative, burn, is the ending where no one survives. One
interpretation of this could be, if nothing changes in our society, and
economic growth continues to be our main priority perhaps we won’t
be able to “make it out alive”. This might be a boring way to end a gamebut perhaps that is the whole point.
The final way to end the game challenges the player. If you don’t like the
rules of the game, change them. If you don’t like the rules of capitalism,
challenge them.
Serendipity. The color used for the oil blocks is leaving your hands
stained black. This was an accident and it made me frustrated at first.
Soon, however, I realised that it was quite suiting for the game. The
fossil fuel industry is a dirty industry and if you play the game like the
CEO of an oil company, you deserve to get your hands dirty.
Image 13: Business as Usual - Beginning of GameConclution
The game might sound like it’s a little bit extreme and alarmist to some
people. The reason the story is presented this way, however, is that in
many ways this is happening right now. The global economic system
is designed for ever-expanding production and consumption. People
run businesses that are causing harm to humans, other species, and the
environment. Extremely wealthy people are, right now, prepping and
buying bunkers to be prepared for when the catastrophe hits. There
are plans for settlement on Mars, with the nobel mission to secure the
future of humanity. It is important to criticize a social structure that
says that the more money, education, privilege, and power you have the
more likely you are to stay safe during a crisis.
This project and thesis has presented one example of how design
can bring change in our everyday lives. Showing the importance to
highlight and criticize the, for many people, unnoticed problematic
social structures and ideals found in casual entertainment such as
books, music, movies and tv-shows and board games.
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