A Guelph-based gaming company is launching a new deck building game that they say is uniquely inclusive.
Broken Things is a creative studio based in Guelph. Its artists and designers noticed a lack of diversity and exclusivity in existing games and applied those lessons in its new The Building-Building Deck Building Game (or Builders! for short).
“We need to consider what we assume different people look like,” said Tyler Omichinski, co-owner of Broken Things. “With Builders! we wanted to make sure that there were a variety of backgrounds, ages, and lifestyles represented in a broad spread of jobs. It was a great opportunity to critically examine what we thought each of these jobs looked like, then question those assumptions.”
Nat Sanderson, who is a house painter by day, is a co-creator of Builders! and said the construction industry is one of the places he sees diversity at it finest.
“People from all walks of life, all backgrounds, and all cultures are represented in the trades,” said Sanderson. “In my 12 years in the trades, I have met more diverse people than almost anywhere else.”
The object of the game, which lasts about 45 minutes, is to build the tallest and most valuable skyscraper in the city.
Up to four players use the cards in their own decks to achieve that goal by creating an executive team, hiring employees before beginning the actual building. Players can also choose use cards to tear down the work done by their opponents.
“A deck-building game,” explains Omichinski, “is when players cycle through a deck of cards while competing toward a specified goal. A core part of the game is the process of adding cards to, or removing them from, your deck.”
The game has already been play tested and the company has started a Kickstarter campaign to manufacture 500 copies of the game.
On Saturday, the game will be on demonstration at The Dragon South comic book store on Gordon Street at Kortright Road.
“We want to pursue this kind of inclusively and portrayals in gaming, while also making sure that every day is fun to play,” said Omichinski. “In Builders! we don’t take ourselves too seriously.”
