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Idea: The game of Cards.

Observation of the recent political machinations in Egypt have led me to an idea that I'd like to put out there and invite artists and non- artists to participate in.*

Those who have known me for awhile also know that I have a long history with strategic card games, starting with Magic: The Gathering and ending with the iGame Shadow Era. The goal of these games is to defeat your opponent using a series of abilities, items, monsters or heroes, described and given a value on a series of illustrated playing cards.


In politics, economy and marketing, we often hear of the need to play a particular card "The terrorism card" "The Economic Crisis Card" "The Education Card" "The propaganda card". Taking this as a starting point, the idea is to create a real-life set of cards describing the moves that are made in high politics and the actors, current or historical, involved in them.

The aim of this game is, in my mind, to playfully spread an awareness of the processes, decisions and people involved in politics and to allow a broader interested public to engage in a critical thought process and understanding of the body politick while playing, possibly becoming better at the very real game that is played on a global scale than the actual politicians.

Of course, rules will have to be set, discussions will have to be had, cards drawn, descriptions written and typeset. Published. This is a process that anyone can participate in, be they a (r)evolutionary, social critic or narcissitic dictator who wants their picture in the game.

If you're reading this, and think it's a good idea, get in touch through whichever medium you're reading it on. Initially, I'm interested to hear what you think and if this is an intersting idea to pursue and how to go about producing and publishing it.

Research: If you want to try playing one of those games for free, look for Shadow Era on the iTunes store or Android marketplace. Be warned that it can be addictive. I must also add that, beyond playing these games, I am in no way affiliated to the publishers. 

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