Had a chance to play our new game, Loud & Proud, which Fast Co.Exist calls “catnip for activist types”?
Loud & Proud is flexible enough to be played by everyone from 7 year olds to adults (at the same time, no less).
One part fun + one part learning + fast + loud = enjoyment for all
A graceful blend of fun and education is one of the trademarks of our games and workshops, and was certainly one of the main goals for L&P. We wanted to create a game that mixed social justice and fun in a way that was authentic, provocative, and playable at the kitchen table, classroom desk, or activist roundtable.
Quincy Saul, member of Scientific Soul Sessions, The Campaign to Free Russell Maroon Shoatz, and co-founder of Ecosocialist Horizons, wrote to us to say:
“I had a fantastic time playing Loud and Proud with mom, sister, and two nieces, aged (about) 7 and 10. The game provided excellent educational opportunities all around. The girls were excited enough with the shouting and the pace and the occasional opportunities for silliness (i.e., What would you protest? Not enough toast! Or, once that had already been used, The toaster is too slow!), that they were receptive to a pretty heavy trip down the rabbit hole about the state of the world. What are political prisoners? What is politics? What do you mean this country was founded on slavery?
“But moreover, the adults learned just as much because it put us on the spot to explain these things. All the adults realized how little they knew! All of us extend gratitude to TESA for the game. It is challenging in good ways, especially for intergenerational groups, I think.”
Catch this: Not only did everyone have a blast, but everyone also learned from each other. These outcomes are by no means outliers—rather, we built these ends into the game’s design.
How does the game go?
Before I go any further though, let me explain the nitty gritty of L&P. In L&P, players sit in a circle and flip over cards from the main deck. If the symbol on one player’s card matches another player’s, they face-off, and race to answer each others’ card prompt first.
For example, your card might say “Civil Rights Leader” and someone else’s card might say “Renewable Energy”—the first player to correctly answer the other player’s prompt (“Malcolm X!”) wins their card.
Not your average educational game
The beautiful thing about L&P is that it provides countless opportunities for conversations and learning in a way that is a natural part of gameplay, not a forced outcome. There are no “right” answers in L&P, only more opportunities for conversation and debate.
Loud & Proud isn’t a static primer on the facts, past, present or future, of social justice movements—instead, it is a fluid catalyst from which to open your mind to the many possibilities and perspectives that exist as we continue to think about social justice and creating the world that we want.
Oh, and did I mention that the game is really, really fun?
