The line between politics and history

[Zoatebix]

So I'm working on two different role-playing game projects that are about civil disobedience and rebellion. I will not use real-world examples in the promotion of these games. However, if my games ever get fans, would a discussion of, say, Mahatma Gandhi's Satyagraha as something to emulate in play be allowed on these boards?
Thank you,
George Austin

 

[Mark]

Hiya George!

I know you didn't ask me, but I saw on your design blog that you were looking for some validation that you have done the right thing by asking in advance of posting regarding your project and discussions in this particular online community, and I say, "Well done!" Always better to ask in advance when you feel something might cross a line. Your integrity is intact and honorable.

 

[Umbran]

The line is fine, and the thing to remember is that you don't get to control who steps over it. The real issue about politics is not that what you say is necessarily offensive, but that people feel so strongly about it that they tend to start arguments.

In analysis, people will invariably make analogies to more familiar examples - if you bring up Ghandi, the analogy to Martin Luther King is inevitable. And that takes us down the road of race relations in the US - definitely political.

Also, while you can start with a clear statement of what happened, your game is probably also gong to want to get into the whys, the influences, and the cause and effect relationships - which are all fairly open to interpretation and political as well.

If it is to be done here, it would have to be done very carefully. Surely, you can say, "Go read up on Gandhi," but going into a deep analysis of the politics in Gandhi's day would likely become problematic.

 

[Zoatebix]

Someone's actually reading my blog? I better go fix that improperly closed italics tag! Thank you for the validation, Mark.

Umbran, your advice is right on the money: building a space where people can come to their own conclusions ("try reading about this") beats pushing my own conclusions any day.