Games, readings, and tools for
play as activism

Play, power and political imagination

  • How Playing Board Games Can Make You a Better Activist by TESA Collective
    A short article on how games build strategic thinking, collaboration, and systems awareness, key skills for organizing and activism.

  • Exploits of Play (Podcast Series). Hosted by Max Haiven
    A 10-episode series exploring how games and gamification shape capitalism, and how play can also become a space for resistance.

  • Radical Board Games: A History by Red Pepper Magazine
    A historical overview of how games have been used to communicate radical ideas and support political movements.

Histories of Monopoly & Anti-Capitalist Play

  • The Landlord’s Game: Lizzie Magie and Monopoly’s Anti-Capitalist Origins (1903) The Public Domain Review
    Explores how Monopoly began as a critique of land monopolies and wealth inequality before becoming a mainstream capitalist game.

Game Design & Process

  • A Board Game Design Process (6-part series) by Diego Beltrami
    A practical six-part series that walks through the full design process, from research and concept development to prototyping and testing.

  • Why We Made Daybreak by Matteo Menapace and collaborators
    A reflection on designing a cooperative climate game, focusing on how mechanics can communicate complex systems.

Radical and Alternative Games

  • Billionaires & Guillotines by Max Haiven
    A satirical game about wealth inequality where players embody elites or their challengers, exposing class dynamics through play.

  • Unsettling Settlers (Intervention Game) by Golboo Amani
    A critical reworking of Settlers of Catan that introduces collaboration, treaties, and land repatriation to challenge colonial narratives.

  • Autonomía Zapatista (Cooperative Game) developed by collectives in solidarity with the Zapatista movement
    A cooperative game where players collectively respond to challenges in a Zapatista community, emphasizing autonomy and mutual aid.

  • Daybreak by Matt Leacock and Matteo Menapace
    A cooperative climate game where players work together to build systems that can stop climate change.

  • Suffragetto Anonymous (historical game)
    A historical board game depicting the struggle between suffragettes and police, reflecting feminist resistance.

  • TESA Collective Games TESA Collective
    A collection of educational and activist-oriented games focused on organizing and social justice.

  • Games for Fun and Liberation Radical Discipleship
    A curated list of games that support justice, collective learning, and political imagination.

Make Your Own Game

  • Mateo Menapace – Design Tools & Zines
    A collection of accessible tools and guides for designing games with a focus on collaboration and social impact.

  • Board Game Design Lab Guide
    A step-by-step introduction to key elements of game design, including mechanics, player experience, and iteration. Covers mechanics, prototyping, and iteration strategies for beginner designers.