Year: 2022

Medium: 2’x2’ board game made up of 14 puzzle pieces; laser cut and drill pressed wood, acrylic paint. 8 player pieces and 32 covid-19 protein spikes with color coordinated canisters; 3-D printing with resin and filament. 4 sets of playing cards; printed on cardstock. Full exhibition design includes a playing table, carpeting, lounge seating, curtains, posters, and poster stands. 

Conception: In 2022, I had the opportunity to completely build and design a board game, and knew that I wanted to create a project that was thought-provoking and fun. I quickly decided that my game would focus on the Coronavirus Pandemic, and, while in the early stages of research, had a realization: the news being reported during the pandemic was shocking, absurd, and generally unhinged in ways I had never seen before. In this way, the headlines coming out of major news organizations seemed to mirror the unprecedented and for many, traumatic, shift in our day-to-day lives that ended up becoming our “new normal.” So I set out to build re:flect, a game which would bring people together to reflect, confront, and laugh about the last two years, toilet paper shortages and all. 

Making: I used power tools, saws, and a laser cutter to create two puzzle piece boards which represented the confusion of conflicting media coverage during shelter-in-place orders. It was engraved and painted with logos of political parties, health organizations, and social media outlets, representing how impactful these agencies were in our lives. Using 3-D printed material, I created game pieces representing aspects of societal struggle during the pandemic: a toilet paper roll to represent supply chain issues, a wine glass to represent the rise of alcoholism, and a laptop to represent the struggle of shifting into online work. Using media headlines selected from March 1, 2020 to March 1, 2022, I created gameplay cards for players to traverse the boards. In reading the headlines and following the cards' directions the players are invited to reflect on their own personal experience with major events during this monumental era in world history. Over several months, I spent hundreds of hours researching, play-testing, and building this project to be ready for showcasing and public participation.

Impact: This project was showcased at SOMArts Gallery in San Francisco in May of 2022. The game has been otherwise showcased by several offices and small businesses as a comedic team bonding activity. Please contact me directly if you are interested in having the game brought to your organization for playing, or if you would like to be involved in a focus group for the next game edition.

Legacy: While the first edition of this game was completed and published in 2022, a second edition of the game is currently in production as we improve gameplay and mechanics.