There’s a persistent myth that games are apolitical. But tabletop games, board games, and even casual party games are never neutral. Throughout history, games have reflected the cultures and values that created them.
In the Victorian era, for example, women often played patience games (like solitaire) as a socially acceptable pastime. These rituals reinforced gendered expectations—quiet, domestic, and contained.
Fast forward to today, and many of the most popular strategy games still carry heavy baggage: themes of colonialism, domination, and resource extraction. They celebrate conquest, expansion, and the control of land framed as “belonging to no one”—an echo of ongoing legacies of colonization and erasure.
When we sit down at the game table, we’re taking in more than mechanics. We’re also absorbing the stories, worldviews, and politics that shape the design. Recognizing this opens the door to reimagining what games can be: not just entertainment, but tools for collective joy, curiosity, and resistance.
The Power of Play
Play is not just a break from the world; it’s a way of reshaping how we relate to each other.
- Party games invite us to laugh, connect, and share ideas.
- Tabletop roleplaying games let us imagine new worlds, new systems, and new identities outside the narrow confines of everyday life.
- Cooperative board games give us space to practice solidarity.
- Even competitive games, when framed with care, can teach ethics, boundaries, and respect.
In a society that equates worth with productivity, claiming time for joy and imagination is radical.
The tabletop gaming industry is shifting. Independent creators are designing games that spark curiosity, teach history and science, and center inclusion. Players, too, are asking harder questions about the narratives baked into mainstream games: Do we want to keep replaying stories of empire and extraction—or can we choose games that reflect collaboration, ecology, and care?
As more players recognize that all games are political, play itself becomes a site of possibility. Choosing what we play, and how, is part of resisting the idea that games must be escapist, apolitical, or reinforcing of the status quo.
Joy as Resistance
Ultimately, play is joy. And joy—especially shared, collective joy—is powerful. In times of authoritarian creep and deepening inequality, joy can feel scarce. But gathering friends around a tabletop, laughing until our sides ache over a ridiculous party game, or working together to beat a cooperative challenge isn’t just fun. It’s planting seeds of resistance.
Neuroscience, psychology, and centuries of culture agree: adults need play just as much as kids. Play sparks creativity, strengthens social bonds, relieves stress, and expands our capacity to imagine alternatives to the systems we’re trapped in. And when imagination itself is under siege, play becomes a muscle we can’t afford to neglect.
Toward Collective Freedom
Whether you’re diving into a long campaign of Dungeons & Dragons, tearing through a chaotic new indie party game, or shuffling a deck for a quick card game with friends, remember: nothing is politically neutral. Every choice—every game—moves us toward or away from collective freedom.
And if you’re looking for something that blends science, humor, and a dash of chaos, check out our own creation: Mate: The Party Game for Feral Naturalists. It’s where animal mating science meets party game fun—a reminder that play can be hilarious, curious, and liberatory all at once.
There’s a myth that movements toward collective freedom can’t be fun—that feminists or radicals want to abolish laughter and joy. On the contrary: we know that building freedom is joyful, hilarious, and best of all, shared. Because in a world that wants us to burn out, shut down, and comply, liberatory play says: we deserve better, and we can imagine better together.
