This is a form of conflict simulation that leans into the historical context and they’ve always dealt with uncomfortable topics, like Castro’s terror campaign in Cuba or the war in Afghanistan.
I’ve played several of these COIN (COunter INsurgency) games and they’re obviously supposed to be entertainment, but they’re also incredibly thoroughly researched, deeply thought provoking and challenging and serve to give a context for some of the history in a way no other medium can.
What I’m getting at is that these games aren’t like “roll a 6 to murder a civilian” they’re designed to inform and educate their audience as much as entertain them with difficult decisions.
why shouldn’t these mediums be sensitively used to study such important historical events, given the significant coverage already in the more passive mediums of print and film? Surely they too are worthy of simulation?
This is a form of conflict simulation that leans into the historical context and they’ve always dealt with uncomfortable topics, like Castro’s terror campaign in Cuba or the war in Afghanistan.
I’ve played several of these COIN (COunter INsurgency) games and they’re obviously supposed to be entertainment, but they’re also incredibly thoroughly researched, deeply thought provoking and challenging and serve to give a context for some of the history in a way no other medium can.
What I’m getting at is that these games aren’t like “roll a 6 to murder a civilian” they’re designed to inform and educate their audience as much as entertain them with difficult decisions.
Interview with the designer:
https://theboardgameschronicle.com/2021/02/20/interview-with-hugh-odonnell-designer-of-the-troubles-shadow-war-in-northern-ireland-1964-1998-coming-to-kickstarter-in-march/