Could a board game help prepare Taiwan for war with China?
Al Jazeera
The latest development in a growing trend for ‘military boardgames’ gives players the chance to ‘defend’ Taiwan in the lead-up to a war with China.
Taiwanese company Mizo Games has launched a new board game which allows players to take on roles from military commanders and undercover operatives to civilian resistance fighters battling a fictional Chinese invasion.
The game, named “2045”, will be released in Taiwan this month. It will also be released later in January in English in Europe and the United States.
In August 2024, Mizo Games launched a crowdfunding campaign raising more than 4 million New Taiwan dollars ($121,707 USD) within two and a half months.
In an interview with Reuters news agency in December, Chang Shao Lian, founder of Mizo Games said: “I want players to feel they want to win and think about what they will do to win.”
The game is being released amid rising tensions between China and Taiwan, with China increasing military activities near the island and a mounting effort by civil defence groups to prepare for any potential invasion.