Week 7 Game ideas – Ames' syllabi

Victim Olympics – This could be an interesting board game that plays off of the idea of the term “victim olympics” where one group of people or demographic tries to put their struggles and challenges over those of someone else, trying to be more so the victim. The game could also incorporate olympic type events and sports to make the experience more fun. For instance, maybe there is a sprint that involves trying to outdo the other team. I think it is also important to acknowledge that this term can sometimes be thrown around in a context where they are saying it because they believe that people just want to feel like a “victim” or that they “want attention”, but in reality, their struggles should not be downplayed. Ultimately, this game would try to make the point that everyone’s struggles are valid and unique, and there is no need for competitive comparison.
Pink Tax Game – Play as corporations that are trying to make the most money off of their female customers. You need to upcharge for feminine projects, or simply if the product is “girly” or pink. This game could also be competitive where it is the females against the corporations.
Swift Logistics – Taylor Swift game about her flying from city to city (think logistics of her lifestyle and concerts and environmental impact) but try to not necessarily bring down her successes as a female artist but acknowledging that there are some downsides. This game could be about managing going from place to place and concert to concert and show the extensive resources that go into concerts and energy consumption. Thus, this would be a resource management-based game.
The Parasite Class – based on the post on x that elon musk shared that anyone receiving financial assistance from the government is leeching off the resources, except the game would really highlight how that the opposite is true of most members of the lower class and it would showcase individuals experiences stories and situations to humanize it. Players would have to grant funding to individuals who need it.
Project 2025 or a bunch of lies – This game is essentially a trivia game that helps familiarize people with the contents of Project 2025 since it is very relevant to American citizens. Since the original document is hundreds of pages long, this would help increase understanding.
We Didn’t Start The Fire – a trivia game based on the song “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel. This sound contains newsworthy events and pop culture references from the 40s to 1989. This would also include the updated Fall Out Boy version that covers events up to 2023. The back of the cards could have pics of the different artists on the back so people can identify what song it’s from and roughly what time frame they are working with. I think this is important for people to be educated about both pop culture and historical events, because I personally don’t recognize a lot of the references in the song, but I know that they are in reference to history that is pretty important.
blue collar monopoly – working on dangerous job sites, looking dirty, etc. (idk my boyfriend suggested this idea and I can’t remember what else we talked about this idea)
Realistic Game of Life- Some of the editions to make it more realistic: insane medical bills, your dog died as a card, layoffs but you don’t get a new job immediately, unemployment denied, job applications. Essentially just make the game less fun and cheeky and a little more serious and grim.
Candyland, but it’s a critique on diabetes and the consumption of junk food. Cards would provide statistics about diabetes, obesity, and other negative health implications. The game would still be very visually appealing with lots of sweets, but the gameplay would help you realize some of the negative consequences.
Operation but it is about plastic surgery and botched operations. You would have to give people lip filler, perform liposuction, BBLs, rhinoplasties, etc. If you touch the side like in normal Operation, you have botched the person’s appearance forever.