Culture & Society

11 September 2022 Culture & Society

Puerto Rico 1897: culturally correct reissue of the board game classic?

Ravensburger has withdrawn the children’s book Der junge Häuptling Winnetou because it hurt other people’s feelings. With Puerto Rico, the publisher took a different approach. It revised the board game with cultural consultants. Now it is no longer set in the colonial era, but in 1897. We took a look at the game and discovered new buildings as well as old acquaintances: the brown workers are back.

23 January 2022 Culture & Society

Brettspiel Election 2020, You Decide: Conspiracy theories about Corona and the US election

Enemies of democracy spread hate and conspiracy theories not only via the messenger Telegram, but also through board games. In Election 2020, You Decide, everything revolves around lies about Corona and the 2020 US election.

17 November 2021 Culture & Society

Puerto Rico 1897: board game classic without colonialism and slavery

A new edition of Puerto Rico is set to be released in autumn 2022. The publisher is responding to discussions about the depiction of colonialism and slavery in the game. We spoke to alea editor André Maack – about historically accurate board games, unintentional mistakes and the likely return of the brown discs.

30 August 2021 Culture & Society

Bundestag election 2021: election questions from the Spiele-Autoren-Zunft

Which parties are advocating for games as a cultural asset? Which are not? And who supports the inclusion of games in the collection catalogue of the Deutsche Nationalbibliothek? Before the federal election, the Spieleautoren-Zunft (SAZ) asked the parties. With the kind permission of the SAZ, we are also publishing the parties’ responses here.

28 August 2021 Culture & Society

How should museums handle racist toys?

How can you recognise racism in toys? And how should museums deal with racist toys? The Spielzeugmuseum Nürnberg has addressed these questions – and answered them.

15 August 2021 Culture & Society

Annalena Baerbock: “Politics must not be a game”

Annalena Baerbock is not only the Greens’ chancellor candidate but has also been an ambassador for play since 2020. We spoke to her in January – about Sagaland, the right to play and an FDP motion she supports.

8 August 2021 Culture & Society

No majority for board games in the Bundestag

The FDP wanted to improve the framework conditions for female and male game designers. In the Bundestag, they engaged in a heated debate with other parties on this – and lost. We document the failed attempt.

26 July 2021 Culture & Society

Code for Respect and Responsibility: Diverse and Accessible Games

The Spiele-Autoren-Zunft (SAZ) has published a code of conduct. It aims to raise awareness for a respectful and careful approach to game themes and content. The wording was the subject of controversial debate.

24 April 2021 Culture & Society

"We do our best, but we’re aware of our limits"

The board game industry has not only been discussing racism since the Tascini case. This also affects the Spiel des Jahres association. We spoke about this with Bernhard Löhlein, the jury’s spokesperson. An interview about black dice, white jury members and psychopaths.

17 April 2021 Culture & Society

Sommerstraßen: More citizen participation through card game

Sometimes citizen participation sparks a storm of passion. Then many people voice criticism, praise and ideas. Sometimes citizen participation doesn’t even stir a gentle breeze. Then there’s a dead calm, and no one is interested. A card game aims to prevent that from happening – especially when setting up summer streets.

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