IDEAS THAT COULD HELP TO FORM THE GAME
Maybe it might be sensitive to talk about politics in real life, or it might be boring to start a political topic. People do not often talk about politics in daily life. Like in China, this would be a sensitive topic in real life. However, Internet became seemingly the only place where people would love to talk about politics, both in a direct and obvious way mentioning sensitive names and events and in a subtle way using homonym or humorous metaphor.
Why is it sensitive?
about democracy
election is all about democracy, isn’t it? The number of people’s votes will decide the election result. This is why American people would like to go on street to show their opinions about politics.
One of my friend said, before the final election round, “we shall see what kind of president will be brought by the election of democracy.” I think it somehow reveals the conflict in the democratic system. The election of president aims to choose somebody who solve problems, practical problems that people in this country are facing. And this is a system working by “the minority obeys to the minority”.
(Why not hack the election system?)
Reality is, most people care more about benefit of themselves and this is perfectly reasonable (however, I think in area like Asia, like China, people care more about others’ benefits in a more collective culture.) And only the small portion of people would like to risk to make better changes.
Another interesting thing is the fact that major media news report and social networks who support Clinton kinda immerse themselves and supporters in a bubble, without really respect and seriously look into their “opponent ” who also aims to serve the country (ideally). And people also find Trump supporters do not really speak out their ideas “properly”. Trumps campaign really tries to solve practical problems that is beneficial to US citizens. But what were shown in media or SNS, are mainly about irrational opinions of Trump supporters.
***big data tracking really make people stay in the bubble of information , any other way of using data tracking? ***
About China
There are a lot of people in China who also speak up for democracy. Like events in Hong Kong, or a lot of people who got arrested because their different political opinion.
…
Such idea could also be somehow applied in China, as democracy is one of the guidelines of Communist Party of China. However, things are different because of the leadership method of communist government — domestic centralism. The government system is made like a pyramid of different levels of bureaucracy because the easier management and easiness to execute political orders. And somehow it manages to listen to people’s concerns and needs, but it was not a direct factor to decide what the government is going to do.
…
“中国共产党认为，民主集中制既体现了党内广泛的民主性，又体现了党内高度的集中性，是党内民主与党内集中的有机统一。[17]
2009年7月，西北大学政治传播研究所所长华炳啸认为，从列宁之后的历史实践来看，“民主的集中制”原则一度遭到了歪曲甚至是背叛，被割裂成了可以随领导人意志为转移的“民主制或集中制”，领导想民主就民主、想集中就集中。[18]
“
In this way, people would not feel confident about speaking up their political opinion, for being afraid of the bad situation they will get because of their different ideas, also becasue they feel it’s powerless to do so. Ideas were thought to be not heard.
However, life is going on. So this game is made to let people present their ideas of different life. And make them feel their ideas and the presentation of ideas matter and is meaningful.
ONLINE GAME EXAMPLE
Three games were found related to the game I want to make:
1. iCivic
https://www.icivics.org
This game lets game player experience the presidential election process, and this is also what it aims to do. User basically chose from given options of campaign and answers to the questions. (looks kinda political correct if you look into those options)
2. Nation States
https://www.nationstates.net
This is a online webpage game, where users create a country by choosing different policies and different areas that government focus on, to complete with other countries using the index of different conditions like environment, economics.
3. America Daitouryou Senkyo (アメリカ 大統領選挙)
http://www.hardcoregaming101.net/americadaitouryou/americadaitouryou.html
THIS IS A JAPANESE STIMULATION GAME.
On the one hand, this makes America Daitouryou Senkyo an interesting look at how Japanese culture (or at least this one game developer) may have envisioned the American political system.
*“Despite rarely being recognized as such, the 1988 presidential election was one of the more influential elections of the modern era. In fact, it was where modern American politics became what they are today. The Republicans adopted Reagan’s anti-government attitudes and carried them further than he did, with Bush opening his bid for the presidency with a call for **“a taxpayer’s bill of rights.” *“Liberal” saw its first use as a pejorative, and political correctness (or, rather, rebelling against the mere perception of it) was just starting to emerge. ”
Board Game Example
Mr. President
https://boardgamegeek.com/image/1744863/mr-president
Campaign Manager 2008
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/46255/campaign-manager–2008
The Contender Card Game
Here’s official website
http://thecontender.us
Watch a demo here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owREIswtTms
The Contender card game ask users to play as presidential candidate, take three cards from Quote Cards(which has real one sentence of real quote from American presidential election). And in every round, one hot topic was given from the Topic Cards by player in turn, and players will use part or all of their quote cards in hand to make a reasonable debate. Player who gave it the topic card will decide the winner.
=============================
Game Design
- Super Hero who have brilliant ideas to make this country a better place
- this game is actually a country, and people actually run the election right inside the game, for choosing a president
- or there could be different election system
Or like
The quantity of players should be one more than the quantity of suites. So the game is for four players playing with cards of three suites, or five players playing with cards of four suites.
And at beginning, each player take five cards in hand.
Then each player takes one card out of hand as a “Adverse Opinion”, leaving it on the table. The suite of “Adverse Opinion” card should never be kept by the player who hold it, because if at the end of game anyone who is found that still have cards of the suite of “Adverse Opinion” card, will be taken away all the cards, and the votes will be given to other player. (There is gotta be one player ask to check everyone’s cards. Or the player who do this can get away)
Players should try to collect as many as cards of single suite. Like have cards of all hearts. After the cards are all taken, the player who has the most single suite cards will win the game. 
As a new round begins, each player take no more than three cards out of hand and place them backside up in front of them (as a bid). Then a topic card will be randomly given by a player in turn. Topic card presents a problem of society or government are facing, and players have to present an idea of solution. After that, players vote for different solutions. The one who got most votes could browse all the bid cards, and taken the cards he/she desires. After this, other players get one card from the rest of cards in turn until all the card is taken.
Then a round is over after each player takes a new card.
