Play. Seriously.
2121 is a role-playing, facilitated card game for the classroom designed to foster political imagination in young women.
The game can be played by anyone, regardless of gender, and promotes dialogue about issues of gender and identity in political representation.
After a guided facilitation, each player acts as a real woman who is running or has run for office, and engages in role-playing, strategic decision-making, and learning about the history and current state of women in politics.
Players can advance on the "race to election" in several ways: by excelling in public speaking, experiencing positive events on the campaign trail, gaining expertise in different policy areas, and rocking the trivia questions about women in politics.
After the game, we engage in thoughtful conversation about what it means to take on a different perspective, how the game changed what students consider about gender and politics, and reflect on their own political interests and ambitions.
The game takes about 10 minutes to introduce, 40 minutes to play, and roughly 20 minutes to debrief. It can be played by 3-5 students; however, we have often had students tag team in and out of a single game if the class is of a larger size.
Participatory Design &
Action Research...
Designing With, Not For
Playtests &
Group Design Sessions
PLAYERS...
ROLE PLAY as real women who are running for office
Engage in DEBATE about public issues
Learn about the history and current state of WOMEN IN POLITICS
Game content based on research from Harvard, Barbara Lee Family Foundation, Center for Women in American Politics, Political Parity, and more.
Facilitation Guide
The game has been played with over 40 undergraduate students to date, and we're piloting it now with both more college classrooms and in high schools in the Boston area.
Overall, students (90%) felt engaged in the outcome of the game
100% felt a sense of excitement while playing
The majority felt that they both played the game strategically (72%) and felt a sense of competition (just over 50%)
"Acting as someone who's running - I'd just never thought like that before because I've never considered running for office...so that was kind of a brand new perspective that maybe you wouldn't get from a lecture."
- Playtester, 2017
© 2017 by Jess Weaver. Proudly created with Wix.com
Image courtesy of Richard Ha