Playing Gods
Encyclopedia
Playing Gods is a satirical
board game
released in late 2008. Two to five players each represent a different god
, and compete with each other to take over the world. This is done by spreading believers, converting
the followers of other gods, or killing them off with Acts of God. The game premiered at the 2009 New York Toy Fair.
. Players can pit Christians against Muslim
s and Hindu
s against Jews, or be the mascot, a machine-gun-toting Buddha
. Players may choose to be any god from Jesus to Buddha, from Cthulhu
to Zeus
, from the Cult of Oprah to the Almighty Dollar
.
Playing Gods is basically an area control game, like Risk
. The board is a map of the world, and each continent contains a Holy City that is home of one of the world’s religions. Circling the globe is an outer ring where the god pawns move around the board. They do not actually move onto the map of the Earth, they stay above in the heavens, gathering power through Wrath and Conversion cards. Wrath cards (also called "kill cards") are used to bring down natural disasters (plagues, locusts, avalanches, floods, and other Acts of Gods) on other gods' followers. Conversion cards are used to convert other gods' followers to your beliefs (promising them things like Afterlife, Prosperity, and Miracles).
Typical card content includes: “Bring down the plague: Kill two sects,” “Your preacher is found with a prostitute, lose one sect,” and “Another god's follower challenges you to prove you exist; you fry him with lightning in front of a crowd. Gain one sect.” The game is won when one god converts or kills off all the other gods’ followers.
(represented by Tom Cruise
with a UFO over his head), Zeus
, Jehovah’s Witnesses, beer, the Cult of Oprah, the Almighty Dollar
, war
, Islam
, J.R. “Bob” Dobbs (of the Church of the Subgenius
), the Flying Spaghetti Monster
, death
, Satan
, television
, the Goddess
, atheism
, the Magic 8 Ball, McWorld
(American consumerism), and others. Players are encouraged to create their own gods.
According to the game’s creator, Ben Radford, the game was partly inspired by a British game called War on Terror: The Board Game
. The concept for “the world’s first satirical board game of religious warfare” was inspired by his realization that “many of the world's worst conflicts are rooted in religion. Lots of people believe that God is on their side, and as long as God is on your side, any actions you take are justified... I realized, ‘This is ridiculous, all these people killing each other because their neighbor down the road prays to a different god.’” Radford said. “I wanted to address this religious violence from a satirical angle, as I’d never seen it done before."
magazine, says the game is “lavishly produced, with compelling game play ... combines rousing fun with wryly serious insights about the downside of religion.”
Some fans of popular “German games” (such as Settlers of Catan or Ticket to Ride
) have complained that the “roll and go” game mechanics of Playing Gods are not complex enough for their tastes, though many mainstream game reviewers have praised the game as “one of the coolest and most important things to happen to parlor games”, “funny, clever and enjoyable, with a well-crafted game mechanic and a fairly original premise”,
and “awesome, and damned funny.. it’s Candyland for people who want the express train to hell”.
The game’s main theme--- gods killing off each other’s believers in religious warfare--- has caused some controversy. The game comes with six pawns, including ones depicting Jesus swinging a cross as a weapon and Buddha firing a machine gun. Several stores have refused to carry the game because of its potential to offend religious people.
USA Today
polled its readers about the controversy “Does Playing Gods go too far?” The results were split down the middle, with 48% saying it went too far, and 50% saying it didn’t go far enough. Carl Raschke, professor of religious studies at University of Denver
, stated that the game's perspective “has no basis in historical reality and doesn't actually represent any religion. It just appeals to people who hate religion to begin with — the hip subculture of militant popular atheists…. It sounds too stupid to go far.”
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
board game
Board game
A board game is a game which involves counters or pieces being moved on a pre-marked surface or "board", according to a set of rules. Games may be based on pure strategy, chance or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal which a player aims to achieve...
released in late 2008. Two to five players each represent a different god
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, and compete with each other to take over the world. This is done by spreading believers, converting
Conversion
-Economy and Finance:* Currency conversion or exchange rate* Conversion , one of the options strategies* Economic conversion-Law:* Conversion , conversion by taking a chattel out of the possession of another with the intent of exercising a permanent or temporary dominion over it, despite the...
the followers of other gods, or killing them off with Acts of God. The game premiered at the 2009 New York Toy Fair.
Concept and gameplay
Playing Gods combines literate satire and social commentary with the carefree fun of the Old TestamentOld Testament
The Old Testament, of which Christians hold different views, is a Christian term for the religious writings of ancient Israel held sacred and inspired by Christians which overlaps with the 24-book canon of the Masoretic Text of Judaism...
. Players can pit Christians against Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s and Hindu
Hindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
s against Jews, or be the mascot, a machine-gun-toting Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
. Players may choose to be any god from Jesus to Buddha, from Cthulhu
Cthulhu
Cthulhu is a fictional character that first appeared in the short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. The character was created by writer H. P...
to Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
, from the Cult of Oprah to the Almighty Dollar
Almighty dollar
Almighty dollar is an idiom often used to satirize an obsession for material wealth .The beginning of the realisation that wealth can engender quasi-religious respect has been attributed to British writer Ben Johnson, who wrote in 1616:The "dollar" version of the phrase is commonly attributed to...
.
Playing Gods is basically an area control game, like Risk
Risk (game)
Risk is a strategic board game, produced by Parker Brothers . It was invented by French film director Albert Lamorisse and originally released in 1957 as La Conquête du Monde in France. Risk is a turn-based game for two to six players...
. The board is a map of the world, and each continent contains a Holy City that is home of one of the world’s religions. Circling the globe is an outer ring where the god pawns move around the board. They do not actually move onto the map of the Earth, they stay above in the heavens, gathering power through Wrath and Conversion cards. Wrath cards (also called "kill cards") are used to bring down natural disasters (plagues, locusts, avalanches, floods, and other Acts of Gods) on other gods' followers. Conversion cards are used to convert other gods' followers to your beliefs (promising them things like Afterlife, Prosperity, and Miracles).
Typical card content includes: “Bring down the plague: Kill two sects,” “Your preacher is found with a prostitute, lose one sect,” and “Another god's follower challenges you to prove you exist; you fry him with lightning in front of a crowd. Gain one sect.” The game is won when one god converts or kills off all the other gods’ followers.
Gods represented in the game
Figures from the world’s five major religions are included in the game: Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism. A sticker sheet is provided with the game to allow for other gods and religions, including ScientologyScientology
Scientology is a body of beliefs and related practices created by science fiction and fantasy author L. Ron Hubbard , starting in 1952, as a successor to his earlier self-help system, Dianetics...
(represented by Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
with a UFO over his head), Zeus
Zeus
In the ancient Greek religion, Zeus was the "Father of Gods and men" who ruled the Olympians of Mount Olympus as a father ruled the family. He was the god of sky and thunder in Greek mythology. His Roman counterpart is Jupiter and his Etruscan counterpart is Tinia.Zeus was the child of Cronus...
, Jehovah’s Witnesses, beer, the Cult of Oprah, the Almighty Dollar
Almighty dollar
Almighty dollar is an idiom often used to satirize an obsession for material wealth .The beginning of the realisation that wealth can engender quasi-religious respect has been attributed to British writer Ben Johnson, who wrote in 1616:The "dollar" version of the phrase is commonly attributed to...
, war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
, Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
, J.R. “Bob” Dobbs (of the Church of the Subgenius
Church of the SubGenius
The Church of the SubGenius is a "parody religion" organization that satirizes religion, conspiracy theories, unidentified flying objects, and popular culture. Originally based in Dallas, Texas, the Church of the SubGenius gained prominence in the 1980s and 1990s and maintains an active presence on...
), the Flying Spaghetti Monster
Flying Spaghetti Monster
The Flying Spaghetti Monster is the deity of the parody religion the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster or Pastafarianism...
, death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
, Satan
Satan
Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...
, television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, the Goddess
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
, atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
, the Magic 8 Ball, McWorld
McWorld
McWorld is a term used to describe the spreading of McDonald's restaurants throughout the world as the result of globalization, and more generally to describe the effects of international McDonaldization of services and commercialization of goods as an element of globalization as a whole...
(American consumerism), and others. Players are encouraged to create their own gods.
History and development
The game was introduced in September 2008 at Dragon*Con, the annual fantasy and science fiction convention in Atlanta. The game is produced by an independent company called Balls Out Entertainment, which, according to its Web site, “is an undisputed world leader in edgy fun, satirical entertainment, and pompous hyperbole. Formed just recently yet dating back to Caesar, Balls Out Entertainment is at once both new and improved.”According to the game’s creator, Ben Radford, the game was partly inspired by a British game called War on Terror: The Board Game
War on Terror (game)
War on Terror, The Boardgame is a satirical, strategic board game, produced and published in 2006 by TerrorBull Games. War on Terror was originally conceived back in 2003 by Andy Tompkins and Andrew Sheerin, two friends based in Cambridge, England...
. The concept for “the world’s first satirical board game of religious warfare” was inspired by his realization that “many of the world's worst conflicts are rooted in religion. Lots of people believe that God is on their side, and as long as God is on your side, any actions you take are justified... I realized, ‘This is ridiculous, all these people killing each other because their neighbor down the road prays to a different god.’” Radford said. “I wanted to address this religious violence from a satirical angle, as I’d never seen it done before."
Reception
The public’s reaction to Playing Gods has been generally positive. Australia’s Synergy Magazine reported Playing Gods has “some of the nicest pawns I have ever seen in a board game... has great game play and comes with a smart, cynical and satirical tone. The Wrath and Conversion cards are amusing but also make you think about the inherent violence in religion and superstition… Playing Gods is blasphemy with style and offers a great board game with a good dose of insight and a great load of fun!”. Free InquiryFree Inquiry
Free Inquiry is a bi-monthly journal of secular humanist opinion and commentary published by the Council for Secular Humanism, which is part of the Center for Inquiry. Philosopher Paul Kurtz is the editor-in-chief and Thomas W. Flynn the editor. Feature articles cover a wide range of topics from a...
magazine, says the game is “lavishly produced, with compelling game play ... combines rousing fun with wryly serious insights about the downside of religion.”
Some fans of popular “German games” (such as Settlers of Catan or Ticket to Ride
Ticket to Ride (board game)
Ticket to Ride is a railway-themed German-style board game designed by Alan R. Moon and published in 2004 by Days of Wonder. The game is also known as Zug um Zug , Les Aventuriers du Rail , Aventureros al Tren , Wsiąść do pociągu , and Menolippu .The game won the 2004 Spiel des Jahres, the Origins...
) have complained that the “roll and go” game mechanics of Playing Gods are not complex enough for their tastes, though many mainstream game reviewers have praised the game as “one of the coolest and most important things to happen to parlor games”, “funny, clever and enjoyable, with a well-crafted game mechanic and a fairly original premise”,
and “awesome, and damned funny.. it’s Candyland for people who want the express train to hell”.
The game’s main theme--- gods killing off each other’s believers in religious warfare--- has caused some controversy. The game comes with six pawns, including ones depicting Jesus swinging a cross as a weapon and Buddha firing a machine gun. Several stores have refused to carry the game because of its potential to offend religious people.
USA Today
USA Today
USA Today is a national American daily newspaper published by the Gannett Company. It was founded by Al Neuharth. The newspaper vies with The Wall Street Journal for the position of having the widest circulation of any newspaper in the United States, something it previously held since 2003...
polled its readers about the controversy “Does Playing Gods go too far?” The results were split down the middle, with 48% saying it went too far, and 50% saying it didn’t go far enough. Carl Raschke, professor of religious studies at University of Denver
University of Denver
The University of Denver is currently ranked 82nd among all public and private "National Universities" by U.S. News & World Report in the 2012 rankings....
, stated that the game's perspective “has no basis in historical reality and doesn't actually represent any religion. It just appeals to people who hate religion to begin with — the hip subculture of militant popular atheists…. It sounds too stupid to go far.”