The democracy game: Discover your inner neta
What’s this now? Get ready for a raucous session of gaming, conversation and laughter. We’re hosting a fun board game event—themed appropriately around Indian politics. Shasn is a fascinating strategy game that asks you to step into the shoes (or chappals) of a neta—and do your best to win the gaddi. It’s happening at Now Boarding Café in Jayanagar, Bangalore on Saturday, November 25—starting at 12 pm. Be sure to RSVP here. We need to book slots early!
PS: We’re charging a modest entry fee of Rs 250 at the venue to cover costs. The cafe has nibbles to keep you going as you woo voters, destroy enemies—and sweep the elections:)
Who: Shasn was created by Zain Memon and Anand Gandhi from the Memsys Culture Lab. You might recognise their names as producers of ‘Ship of Theseus’ and ‘An Insignificant Man’.
What: It’s a beautifully designed game that puts you in the role of a neta trying to win elections. Your job is to woo voters, make or break alliances and–above all– craft your ideological message to win.
This is a thinking man/woman’s game—that requires strategic thinking, and guile. And it is guaranteed to provoke a lively conversation about politics—which will actually be fun!! Imagine that! Would you declare a gau-rakshak day just to win some votes? Are you willing to be a Capitalist, Showstopper, Supremo or Idealist? Find out just how ‘political’ you are come November 25, 2023.
There are lots more details on the game over here and here—plus a demo video here. But don’t worry about the rules. The super-helpful Now Boarding Café folks will be on hand to explain the game—and answer any pressing questions you may have while playing.
Again, the event details: are as follows. RSVP here.
Date: Saturday, November 25, 2023
Time: 12:00 PM onwards
Location: Now Boarding Café: Jayanagar 3rd Block, Bengaluru
About splainer’s election project: ‘24 Questions
The 2024 elections problem: Next year, the largest democracy in the world will go to the polls. Our elections are truly a marvel. We all should be not just proud but also fully engaged as citizens. Yet, many of us are more likely to actively avoid the news—which will become 100X more shrill, exhausting and polarised. Most of us will never understand how our democracy works. We won’t really know what motivates voters, how parties craft their strategies, what opinion polls show or hide. We will instead be drowning in ideological rants, clickbait and a tsunami of SEO-optimised news stories.
Our election project: plans to disrupt this maddening template of election news—across multiple formats: text, audio and video. All of it designed to help you understand what makes our democracy tick—without jargon or rants (and a sense of humour). Here’s what you can look forward to in the coming months:
- Deep dives by independent experts—with true area expertise—'translated' by splainer editors for a layperson.
- YouTube vids that offer context and explanation to help you understand deeper issues—think of them as video equivalents of our Big Stories.
- A WhatsApp channel that shares creative (and shareworthy) infographics communicating core facts. It reflects our view that we need to stop complaining about the so-called ‘WhatsApp University’—and own it instead.
- IRL town halls with different topics—set up as an Ask Me Anything with experts. We want you to drive the questions—and also spark a real and respectful conversation
- Game nights where we use board games like Shasn to get you to discuss political strategy in a fun, entertaining way.
The main takeaway: We want you, the people, to engage, reflect and, yes, relish this great spectacle of democracy.
Support ‘24 Questions: Elections are the Kumbh Mela for news publications. It marks a once-in-five-years chance to achieve reach and scale. We’re in the middle of raising funds to help splainer do just that. If you’d like to help, please consider becoming a founding member. Every bit helps!
