Democratia
A cooperative digital board game about swiss democracy
Full Name: Democratia - The Isle of Five
Made By: Blindflug Studios
Made For: Avenir Suisse
Plattforms: iOS, Android
Roles in Project: Concept & Pitch Design, Game Design
Idea
Background
Democratia - the Isle of Five was a custom game designed and produced for Avenir Suisse for their 20 year jubilee. The liberal think tank wanted to celebrate its anniversairy by making their thoughts and calculations for the future of Switzerland experienceable in a completely new way.
Gameplay:
Democratia is designed with local multiplayer in mind. Every player takes control of a clan leader on a ficticious, small island which, suspiciously looks like Switzerland. Each clan has their own resource they take care of and their own utopia that they would like to see the island be in 20 years. The nature loving Vertis might dream of a green, overgrown island theme park, while the old and traditional Tellis desire Bastion that only the worthy are allowed to enter. Whoever owns the most of their ressource after 20 years wins, but beware, if one clan falls to 0 in their ressource, the whole island is doomed spectacularly.
Design:
The driving force of gameplay in Democratia is the Events and Votes that happen within the 20 years of the game. Our of a pool, the small island is hit with events, similar to events that happened in Switzerland or that could happen. To countermeasure these, the clan leader vote in indirect democracy for their clans, to modify or cancel events. All events and votes were carefully designed with Avenier Suisse and their economists decided what results all of these would have to the demographics of Switzerland.
The point of the design was to make people discuss votes with each other, try to convince others of why certain votes are important blame each other for when the island finds its demise. Its a small Switzerland Politics simulation, but with Aliens, Black Holes and Robot Police Forces.
Impressions
