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In the second episode of the Lucky Paper Radio Book Club, Andy, Anthony, and Parker discuss Playing Oppression by By Mary Flanagan and Mikael Jakobsson. The book explores the history of colonialism in games - the many roles games have played inculcating explicit propaganda or normalizing colonial value systems in their aesthetics and mechanics. Our club members, including call ins from listeners, talk about what they took from the book and whether it’s changed their perspective on games.

Discussed in this episode:

Playing Oppression by By Mary Flanagan and Mikael JakobssonFree PDF of the BookThe First Book Club EpisodeNose DiveA Pattern LanguageThe DoughboysUntitled Goose Game‘Kriegsspiel! How Napoleon Accidentally Invented Strategy Games’ on YouTubeWingspanPhotosynthesis (board game)Spirit IslandA People’s History of the United StatesCole WehrleRootMolly House (concept)Molly House (board game)Citizen GameRusty Cash Box of GoblinPolytopiaOgre Battle Tactics: March of the Black QueenThe Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman

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Andy’s “Bun Magic” CubeAnthony’s “Regular” Cube

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Musical production by DJ James Nasty.

Timestamps

0:00 - Intro1:26 - Pickle Corner Returns5:15 - First impressions of Playing Oppression11:05 - On the format of the book and whether it’s the best means to convey the message16:28 - Getting on board with the core conceit of Playing Oppression19:41 - Are games descriptive or prescriptive of our culture?25:07 - What is a “Goose Game”30:42 - Are video games to blame for gun violence?'37:02 - The German Colony Game and why rehearsing violence is perhaps more visceral than witnessing it42:23 - How are colonial and violent values baked into games that don’t have explicitly colonial flavor?45:26 - How post-war Germany gave rise to the modern Eurogame52:22 - How do you subvert these colonial themes in game design?57:14 - Our experience playing the ‘anticolonialist’ games mentioned in Playing Oppression1:15:01 - Fascism as colonialism and imperialism turned inward1:16:29 - How does all of this relate to Magic1:20:42 - Polytopia and whether or not a better skin would make a difference