TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwanese company Mizo Games is developing a board game based on a nightmare scenario - the final 10 days of a hypothetical Chinese invasion of Taiwan.
Mizo Games founder KJ Chang (張少濂) recently spoke to Taiwan News about 2045, his company's latest creation which is set to be released in January next year. So far, the sci-fi-cyberpunk-themed game has been met with enthusiasm from the company's fans, and a crowdfunding campaign for the game which began on Aug. 1 has since reached over NT$2 million (US$62,335).
The company has had success exploring conflict in Taiwan with its previous games. These include board games about US air raids on Taiwan during the Japanese colonial period, namely Raid on Taihoku, a cooperative game that involves surviving bombs falling on Taipei in 1945, and a similar game based on the US bombing of Kaohsiung in the same era.
Chang said the previous games' success sparked the idea for 2045. He emphasized that the game was created to be fun to play, but also said he hopes 2045 can provide a way for more people to think about how society would respond to the events presented in the game.
Role play
Taiwan’s outlying islands have already fallen when the first moves are made in 2045, and players are randomly assigned characters with identities ranging from pro-independence, pro-unification, military, commerce, organized crime, and local government. Players' characters determine their capabilities and final scores in the game.
Chang explained, “If Taiwan wins when the game finishes (i.e., the Chinese invasion is repelled) and my character has taken out the most PLA soldiers, then I’m likely to have the highest score.”
“But if the Chinese Communist Party wins and I’ve taken out the most PLA soldiers, I will be exposed, and I’ll probably end up in last place,” he said. This point gets to the core of how players are expected to make their in-game decisions.
“It’s definitely not the case that players must defend Taiwan in this game, it's every player for themselves,” Chang said.
Chang said this meant tough decisions for players. Some who played demos of the game drew character cards completely at odds with their personal positions, but still found ways to uphold their values, he said.
Others have played faithfully to the character they were dealt. Taiwanese writer Chu Yu-Hsun (朱宥勳), whose work explores themes of Taiwanese identity, conflict, authoritarianism, and the historical impact of Chinese nationalism on Taiwan, ended up with a pro-unification character.
Chang said that Chu successfully supported the PLA in the game, and ensured the PLA invasion of Taiwan ended in victory for the invaders.
Chang also said Mizo Games contacted each of Taiwan’s 113 legislators to offer them a chance to play. So far, current or former legislators from the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Kuomintang (KMT), and independents have taken up the opportunity, alongside other policymakers and media members.
Seeing how different players' personal views and backgrounds interacted with the game highlighted the number of outcomes possible at its conclusion, Chang said. He said he hopes more people from different political backgrounds can experience the challenges presented by the game.
Elephant in the room
When asked if he thinks it is appropriate to turn the subject of a possible cross-strait conflict into a game, Chang said games based on historical and imagined future wars are not uncommon, as are violent non-war related games.
“Taiwanese people of course hope that this will never happen, or that it only happens in a game,” Chang said. However, he also said that setting the game in 2045 allows people to view the potential scenario at a distance, and consider what may come in the future.
Asked about the political nature of the game, Chang said he would rather let the work speak for itself. “We’re a games company, and we really just want to make fun games,” he said.
He said the dangers that Taiwan faces are well known, and he hopes the game can show players the range of possibilities that may occur in a conflict. “Taiwan might be divided, but people might also show solidarity; there are all different kinds of outcomes that might happen.”
Chang acknowledged the topic of 2045 has created barriers to its promotion and manufacturing. He said advertisements for the product on Meta's social media platforms may have been shadowbanned because of the subject, and Taiwanese makers at one coming international board games exhibition said they did not want to share a booth with them because of the game, which Mizo Games attributed to “political self-censorship.”
The board and pieces for 2045 cannot be manufactured in China, unlike most other board games from Taiwanese companies, Chang said. However, he said even if Mizo Games had the choice, it would still prefer to support Taiwan suppliers and has found a factory to produce the game in New Taipei.
When the final version of 2045 is released, all of the gameplay materials and instructions will be provided in English and Chinese. Chang said he has been asked if a video game version of 2045 is possible, but there are no plans for this in the short term.
The theme song for 2045 was co-created by Taiwanese rapper Gummy B and singer Yang Shu-ya. (Youtube, Yang Shu-ya video)
