Cardboard Ghosts: Using Physical Games to Model and Critique Systems

Cardboard Ghosts: Using Physical Games to Model and Critique Systems

  • Downloads：5624
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2025-02-08 00:20:40
  • Update Date：2025-09-14
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Amabel Holland
  • ISBN：103281344X
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary

Games can be used to model systems because they are themselves systems。 Video games handle this under the hood and teach you as you play， but because board games are operated manually， and require the player to understand the system beforehand， they can be a valuable tool for recognizing， understanding， and critiquing real-world systems， including systems of oppression。 These systems， often unseen and misunderstood， haunt our world。 Board games turn these ghosts into pieces of cardboard we can see， touch， and manipulate。

Cardboard Using Physical Games to Model and Critique Systems explores both the capabilities and limitations of overtly political board games to model systems and make arguments。 Two major approaches are considered and one， built around immersion and identification， creates empathy。 The other， applying the Verfremdungseffekt to distance the player from the game， creating space for reflection。 Uncomfortable questions of player roles and complicity when modelling oppressive systems are examined。

Throughout this book， board game designer Amabel Holland draws connections to computer games， literature， theatre， television， music， film， and her own life， framing board games as an achingly human art form， albeit one still growing into its full potential。 Anyone interested in that potential， or in the value of political art in today’s world， will find many provocative and enriching ideas within。

Key Features:

· Surveys the history of commercial board games as a polemical and persuasive form。

· Explores games existing at the edges of the industry that push the boundaries of what games can do and be。

· Grapples with the ethical and moral considerations of simulating real-world horrors。

· Provides a case study of the author’s influential game This Guilty Land。

· Lively prose and personal anecdotes makes complicated theory digestible for a wide audience。

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Reviews

Hadleigh Moon ，

This book is about game design and using games to explore real world systems and to present arguments about them。 There are some very useful sections。 The summary of the history of wargames is interesting。 The author's exploration of using Bertol Brecht's 'distancing effect' to remove the emotional engagement of games to underline the argument of them is fascinating。 As was the following case study of her game 'This Guilty Land'。 Which I have since purchased as a p&p from Wargame Vault。 I cannot This book is about game design and using games to explore real world systems and to present arguments about them。 There are some very useful sections。 The summary of the history of wargames is interesting。 The author's exploration of using Bertol Brecht's 'distancing effect' to remove the emotional engagement of games to underline the argument of them is fascinating。 As was the following case study of her game 'This Guilty Land'。 Which I have since purchased as a p&p from Wargame Vault。 I cannot stress how valuable I found this and thank the author for her time and effort。 Amabel Holland is a talented writer and her likeable personality really shines through。 There are a lot of autobiographical elements in this。 Particularly around her journey of self discovery as a trans woman。 As well as her development as a prolific and well respected designer and publisher。 Which I found engrossing and in places quite moving。 Which perhaps paradoxically is what caused my disappointment。 This book is quite a short at around 100 pages including footnotes etc。 Presented as an academic text by CRC Press， I wish that the autobiographical elements had been de-emphasised in favour of more case studies。 Particularly the many anecdotes of how the author knows this or that designer。 At times it felt like this book was aimed at those the author knows established inside the industry; already aufait with how these systems work。 More space dedicated to an explanation and exploration of how different mechanics may be employed to achieve different effects on the audience would have been very welcome in this volume。 I am very conflicted on the rating I have given for this。 I enjoyed the book very much and took great pleasure in the author's prose and story telling but at the same time I am quite disappointed by the amount （by no means the quality） of technical design content in here。 Which is the principle reason myself and I imagine most people would buy this。 。。。more

tpg0 ，

Cardboard Ghosts: Exploring Physical Games as a Tool for Systems Critique and Design

Cardboard Ghosts: Exploring Physical Games as a Tool for Systems Critique and Design

Welcome to our detailed exploration of Cardboard Ghosts， a groundbreaking work that examines how physical games can serve as innovative models for understanding and critiquing complex systems。 This page delves into the core themes of the book， providing insights into the use of analog games as a medium for critical thinking and design。

What are Physical Games？

Physical games， often constructed from simple materials like cardboard， provide interactive environments where players engage directly with systems。 These games can reveal hidden dynamics and encourage players to question existing structures， making them powerful tools in both educational and design contexts。

Key Themes in Cardboard Ghosts

  • Modeling Systems: Learn how physical games can simulate real-world systems and provide players with deeper understanding。
  • Critical Engagement: Explore the ways these games invite players to critique and question societal norms and structures。
  • Design Thinking: Understand how creating physical games fosters creativity and innovative solutions to complex problems。

Read Online for Free

Interested in accessing Cardboard Ghosts？ Find a variety of formats including PDF， EPUB， and MOBI。 You can also read it online， making it easily accessible for all！

Why Choose Cardboard Games？

Physical games create tangible experiences that digital mediums often lack。 By engaging with these games， players can manipulate components， apply strategies， and see the immediate effects of their decisions， leading to a richer understanding of the systems at play。

Join the Discussion

We invite you to join our community of thinkers and makers who are using physical games as tools for exploration and critique。 Share your thoughts， experiences， and designs with us！

Conclusion

Discover the potential of Cardboard Ghosts and how it can inspire new ways of thinking about and interacting with systems。 Whether you’re an educator， designer， or simply curious， this work opens up a realm of possibilities through play。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Cardboard Ghosts: Using Physical Games to Model and Critique Systems

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Cardboard Ghosts: Using Physical Games to Model and Critique Systems&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Cardboard Ghosts: Using Physical Games to Model and Critique Systems&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0