Thinking Outside of the Box

It is science fact that computer games are evil, and if played for more than three hours inside one week, you are guaranteed to kill at least seven people over the course of your sick and invariably twisted life. So much a fact is this, that in some countries it has become governmental policy to encourage computer gaming in an effort to curb their population explosion.

In an effort to get the sick and twisted games players away from their 'murder training' (as US campaigner against all evil in computer games Jack Thompson likes to call them) we here at The Skinny feel it may be time to get back to the calmer games of our youth - and as anyone who has tried to choke a sibling with a small plastic red 'hotel' will know, there is nothing more relaxing than a good few hours playing board games.

Any discussion of board games would not be complete without mentioning the traditional behemoths of Risk and Monopoly. However, as Risk is arguably responsible for thousands of deaths (even outside of the traditional family playing scenario) and the initiation of WWII (It's well known that Hitler was high school Risk champion for three years) we will be dodging the former. However, if you can wait approximately five words, we'll discuss Monopoly. So shhh.

Monopoly: dogs, cars, top hats and hotels. Doctors' fees and crossword competitions, none of this happens anymore (when was the last time you saw someone wearing a top hat?). This classic family entertainer is out of touch with the kids today, who it seems, just cannot relate. Enter Ghettopoly: the inspired creation of visionary David Chang. This unlicensed, but up to date, variant on the more traditional 'opoly' game sees you pimpin hoes, building crack houses and paying protection money (all much more socially relevant). Train stations are now liquor stores and peep shows, Chance is Hustle, Community Chest becomes Ghetto Stash. Whilst not an original game concept, Ghettopoly definitely makes for a more interesting take on the game, and while it has been under a lot of fire for racism and copyright infringement, a closer look at the game, and comments made by Chang, indicate it as a playful form of social commentary.

This idea of using board games to increase social awareness was last year taken to a new level with the release of War on Terror: the Board game. Conceptualised by the creators as they drunkenly watched the initial allied invasion of Iraq back in 2003, incensed by the 'spurious evidence' for the war, and driven by their idea of the Axis of Evil spinner as the centre piece, creators Andy Thompson and Andrew Sheeran have gone on to develop a brand new board game. The box comes complete with suicide bomber cards, oil counters, secret message pads and even an evil balaclava. Players aim to gain profits for their nation via expansion of their borders and capturing of oil fields. This allows for alliances to be formed and broken as players work tirelessly for their own ends, even funding terrorists to hassle the opposition surreptitiously, just like the real world.

Even with their excellent, and rather blatant, parody of world politics, the creators have run into their fair amount of resistance to the game. With the game being branded 'sick and insensitive' in lieu of the 7/7 bombings, and most major shops refusing the carry it, things have not been easy for the fledgling designers. Thompson has a stock reply to the controversy surrounding the game: "We've had three years of war in Iraq, suicide bombers in London and the only weapons of mass destruction I've spotted are being used by us. Some people suggest that turning the War on Terror into a board game is a tad insensitive. I always reply that starting a war is insensitive, a board game is just fun for the family."

The Cambridge duo certainly sound as if they have an innovative strategy for opening up word politics through an unlikely medium. Expect a full-on review of the game, just as soon as we get our dirty lil' mits on a copy.