Changing the World Through Play! - Seminar Series

Can board games lead to social action? Board games are often considered mere leisure activities, but they can be much more: they promote social interaction, impart skills, and reflect cultural practices. Modern games in particular combine fun with social reflection: they address topics such as feminism, climate protection, political decision-making processes, or social justice, making them tangible without feeling like "learning." Every game consists of rules, mechanisms, materials, and often a thematic story. Authors and publishers are increasingly focusing on making social phenomena understandable through immersive gameplay. But do these games succeed not only in entertaining but also, at least experimentally, in influencing our thoughts and actions? We will find out together in our series "Changing the World Through Play!" On each date, we will provide "political games" for communal play, focus on one game with a socially relevant theme through an input, and then play one of the games in different groups. Afterwards, we will discuss: Did the game do something to us, did it broaden our perspectives? Duration 4-5h, no special knowledge required.