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Curated By: Ben Johnson

Games About Protest started by accident in 2012 during pre-production for the game 1979 Revolution: Black Friday. What was supposed to be a quick look into other games that had tackled the subject of protest turned into a years' long hunt for games that were often obscure and out of print. The games in the show stretch back over a hundred years, and all of them are informed by the developers' own lived experience with political protest and social upheaval. These games show more than a century of designers attempting to use game mechanics to capture the truth about what happens when ordinary civilians meet in conflict with the State. They stand as a jumping off point for a new wave of modern game designers looking to capture the struggle of our current political moment.

:: NON-DIGITAL GAMES ::

<> Suffragetto

<> Up Against The Wall, Motherfucker!

<> Chicago-Chicago!

<> Bloc By Bloc

<> Rise Up

<> Winterhorn (LARP)

:: DIGITAL GAMES ::

<> 1979 Revolution: Black Friday

<> RIOT: Civil Unrest
<> Red White and Blue

:: RULEBOOKS ::

<> By Will Alone

<> Civil Disorder

<> B'hoys!

<> Riot: Revolting People From Watt Tyler To Watts

About the curator
Ben Johnson has been making games professionally for 15 years, and is currently a Senior Game Designer at Double Fine Productions in San Francisco. He first became involved with Babycastles as an organizer in 2009. He has a Master's in Entertainment Technology from Carnegie-Mellon University. He lives in Oakland.

Poster by Sophia Foster-Dimino