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'Life As A Blackman' - The Game
CNSNews.com ^ | 2/25/02 | Michael L. Betsch

Posted on 02/25/2002 3:23:14 AM PST by kattracks

(CNSNews.com ) - Family night just got racier, literally. A new board game, called "Life As A Blackman," bills itself as the "first and only board game to depict life from the perspective of a minority."

Players, regardless of their race, must assume the persona of an 18-year-old black male who just graduated from high school and now faces choices about obeying the rules or living a life of crime. "Every facet of everyday life is incorporated in this board game," the website says.

Chuck Sawyer, creator of "Life As A Blackman," called his brainchild "the party game for the next millennium." Race plays a prominent role in the game, although Sawyer said it's not intended to point fingers at specific races and cultures. He considers the game an exercise in "sensitivity training."

Sawyer told CNSNews.com he thought about naming his game "Black Life." But he said he chose the term "Blackman" because of the "negative connotation" it carries.

"When you say 'Blackman', you're thinking drugs; you're thinking prison; you're thinking crime - you're only thinking bad things," Sawyer said. "In society," he said, "the black man is the "lowest on the social totem pole - even below the black woman."

Sawyer, who once worked in the advertising industry, said he came up with the idea for the board game after experiencing "covert" racism in the corporate America. "I dealt with racism and the glass ceiling and it was kind of a shocking thing," he said.

His game puts players in the role of the "underdog" facing everyday struggles. A player's "life" unfolds according to which spaces he or she lands on. Individual choices made along the way influence each player's outcome.

The first player to reach the space marked "Freedom" wins the game, although Sawyer said his game does not define freedom.

'Race Card'

The threat of encountering racism is present throughout the game. Sawyer said a player could be moving along on the board and "doing pretty good," but then "you land on 'Racism.'"

Landing on the 'Racism' square requires the player to draw a 'Racism' card, which is similar to the 'Chance' card in Monopoly. Sawyer said it could mean collecting $10,000 from a discrimination lawsuit or moving back two spaces because "your co-worker repeatedly tells you racist jokes."

According to Sawyer, "the only other point that's pretty relevant and very important" in the game is when a player lands on a square marked 'Crime.'

Crime is an option

"Whenever you land on that 'Crime' space, you as a player have the option to pull a 'Crime' card," Sawyer said. A player who chooses to draw a "Crime" card has made the decision to commit a crime.

Committing a crime carries the risk of getting caught. But, on the other hand, Sawyer said a player might also get away with the crime and earn big money from a drug deal or from robbing a bank.

"More than likely, we're going to get you caught up in the court system," Sawyer said. "You may have to do time in prison." However, doing time in the prison can be avoided if you have the right attorney and even the church on your side.

Sawyer said a player with $10,000 can purchase a 'Dream Team' attorney. There's a pretty good chance you'll get off the hook with a Johnny Cochran-type attorney, he said.

Players without any money get public defenders to represent them, but, said Sawyer, "He doesn't do anything for you." That's where the church enters into it: "Your pastor might talk to the judge on your behalf if you're in trouble, you know, to help you get out of prison or whatever," Sawyer said.

Players who do spend time in "Prison" may end up on a "Ghetto" space when they are paroled. "Just like it is in life," Sawyer said. "If you go to prison, you have to start all over and life is going to be a lot harder for you."

The game does offer several avenues out of the "Ghetto," including the professional athlete route or a menial job.

Other traps in the game include the "Police" square. "You're dealing with the police, but as a black man," Sawyer explalined. "Nothing could happen. They could tell you to move along; or drugs could be planted in your car. Or you could deal with racist cops," he said.

"I tried to make it where the police are not all bad," Sawyer said, "but I wanted to make it realistic where the police [are] an inconvenience."

Sensitivity Training

Sawyer said his game is not intended to disparage, but rather to teach.

He said students already are playing it in some classrooms in Alabama and Santa Monica and Oakland, Calif. "We have probably about five schools that use it in the classroom," he said.

Sawyer would also like to see his game used by corporations for "sensitivity training."

Sawyer said he recently signed an option with a Hollywood production company that is developing his board game as a game show on cable.

However, he doesn't expect it to ever reach network television, "Because networks, you know, they're not going to air 'Life As A Blackman.'"

The game is available online, and according to Sawyer, "The chances are very, very great that you will see it on Toys R Us shelves and Wal-Mart and Kay-Bee and all of those stores" very soon.

He said his company, Underground Games Inc., has been certified as a minority-owned business through the Minority Business Development Council, and he expects that designation to help him distribute the game.

E-mail a news tip to Michael Betsch.

Send a Letter to the Editor about this article.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS:

1 posted on 02/25/2002 3:23:14 AM PST by kattracks
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To: kattracks
Anyone got any dice?
2 posted on 02/25/2002 3:26:30 AM PST by Extremely Extreme Extremist
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To: kattracks
Think of the spinoff possibilities:

Life as a Terrorist

Life as a Whiney Liberal

Life as a Politician

Life as an African Dictator

The possibilities are endless.

3 posted on 02/25/2002 3:29:31 AM PST by Movemout
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To: kattracks
Wow! I smell a number #1 christmas toy in the works......

(sarcasm 0ff)

NeverGore

4 posted on 02/25/2002 3:31:34 AM PST by nevergore
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To: kattracks
Race plays a prominent role in the game, although Sawyer said it's not intended to point fingers at specific races and cultures.

So why not call it RACIAL DESCRIMINATION....or something....BLACKMAN isn't targeting a specific race?

5 posted on 02/25/2002 3:33:20 AM PST by Neets
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To: Movemout
How about....

"Life as a Freeper"?????

Nevermind, no-one would ever leave the keyboard long enough to play it.....hehehehe

NeverGore

6 posted on 02/25/2002 3:33:22 AM PST by nevergore
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To: kattracks
although Sawyer said his game does not define freedom.

..Nor does Sharpton. Nor Jackson. Nor the NAACP. How do you know you've attained it if you don't know what it is???

7 posted on 02/25/2002 3:33:31 AM PST by small voice in the wilderness
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To: nevergore
I would rather live it than play it. :>)
8 posted on 02/25/2002 3:35:23 AM PST by Movemout
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To: kattracks
Let me guess: instead of owning Boardwalk with a hotel the equivalent in this game is landing on the square called "Reparations."
9 posted on 02/25/2002 3:39:52 AM PST by PBRSTREETGANG
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To: kattracks
This sounds confusing, how 'bout dominos?
10 posted on 02/25/2002 3:40:10 AM PST by stainlessbanner
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Comment #11 Removed by Moderator

To: kattracks
Good post kat. In reading the post, it seems that the creator or this game is saying that as a black, you never, ever have a chance of making it in the real world except through being a drug dealer or as an athelete. I gues guys like Larry Elder, Thomas Sowell, Clarance Thomas, Walter Williams, et al, are aberations. What is sad and ironic is the space called FREEDOM, yet with no definition. How about the freedom to play such a silly game. Can someone out there in Freeper land give me the names of any blacks in any other Western culture - Canada, England, France, etc. - that has the same position of a C. Ric, C. Powell, T. Sowell, etc. What these people cannot seem to understand is that in this country, being born poor is not a lifelong sentence.
12 posted on 02/25/2002 3:41:38 AM PST by 7thson
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To: kattracks

Welcome to Life As A BlackMan the Game, the first and only board game to depict life from the perspective of a minority.

Beginning the game as a 18 year old black male entering society you must travail the treacherous Districts of Glamourwood, Black University, Military, Ghetto, Corporate America and Prison while trying to be the first player to reach FREEDOM.

But beware the Police lurk everywhere, Crime runs rampant and Life throws many unexpected curves.

Racism is prevalent, but you must try to use your talents to find a good Career and hit the big Payday! Don't fret, Church is always available to strengthen you.

The Game consists of a 24"x24" quad-fold gameboard, a 9"x12" printed platform, 1 4-sided die, 1 6-sided die, 360 action cards, and a pack of BlackMan Money.

littleafrica.com and Underground Games, Inc are proud to offer this unique product to the community.

Order Today !
Only $29.95!

13 posted on 02/25/2002 3:42:06 AM PST by csvset
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To: kattracks
minority-owned business through the Minority Business Development Council

Does this mean he is developing this racist trash with a minority grant from my tax dollars?

14 posted on 02/25/2002 3:44:22 AM PST by stainlessbanner
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To: small voice in the wilderness
How do you know you've attained it if you don't know what it is???

Silly you. If you had concrete, definable goals, you'd be running the risk that you wouldn't be able to play this game forever....

15 posted on 02/25/2002 3:46:04 AM PST by general_re
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To: kattracks
$29.95 is steep for me. I think I'll "axe" for a free copy; to promote understanding and cultural diversity.
16 posted on 02/25/2002 3:47:39 AM PST by csvset
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To: csvset
Are the directions in ebonics?
17 posted on 02/25/2002 3:49:04 AM PST by stainlessbanner
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To: PBRSTREETGANG
Let me guess: instead of owning Boardwalk with a hotel the equivalent in this game is landing on the square called "Reparations."

Either that, or you can become Jesse Jackson and shakedown Fortune 500 companies.

18 posted on 02/25/2002 3:53:17 AM PST by ABG(anybody but Gore)
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To: kattracks

I vote for Crime


19 posted on 02/25/2002 3:55:11 AM PST by RippleFire
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To: kattracks
an 18-year-old black male who just graduated from high school...

So right away we know this is a fantasy game...

20 posted on 02/25/2002 3:56:13 AM PST by martin gibson
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To: kattracks
The blacker-than-thou paradox divides--[Excerpt] No longer bringing us together, black power had become a negative litmus test for one's degree of "blackness." We had entered the "Blacker than Thou" era. On campuses nationwide, black students separated themselves into enclaves.

Groups whose members adopted African-sounding names, perhaps wore dashikis and other African garb and spouted words by the likes of Huey Newton and Eldridge Cleaver were blacker than those who majored in business and talked of Wall Street.

If you could quote from Frantz Fanon's book The Wretched of the Earth: The Handbook for the Black Revolution That Is Changing the Shape of the World, you were one black brother or sister.

And if you had an African name, wore a dashiki, sported a huge Afro, followed the Socialist Workers Party, talked like a Trotskyite, peppered your speech with Marxist aphorisms, majored in black studies and planned a trip to Africa, you were the essence of blackness. [End Excerpt]

We have no leaders to save our black men [Excerpt] "I was astonished recently when I read a study about a city's school system where out of nearly 6,000 African-American males in its high school, only 135 earned a B average or higher. Yet, we black people seem paralyzed to act, to mobilize -- to be outraged! We have failed miserably in addressing, for lack of a better description, "self-destruction of the black man.' Today . . . women head 70 percent of black households! Now you tell me, how are young black boys going to learn how to be men? Folks, what we have . . . is a national crisis -- demanding the highest attention of civic, business and government leaders. I am proposing that communities across the country initiate and start a "Save the Black Man Project.' [End Excerpt]

21 posted on 02/25/2002 4:07:01 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
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To: kattracks
What this country needs is an all inclusive board game. Life As A Victim. Choose your playing piece- an empty gin bottle, a shack, a twinkie, a wheelchair, a dress, a rainbow, a shopping cart with 16 items. The victim who collects the most ribbons wins. But beware "The Man", an evil corporate white male who has the power to decide your worth. There is no ribbon for overcoming this demon. You are out of the game.
22 posted on 02/25/2002 4:17:27 AM PST by small voice in the wilderness
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To: kattracks
As an 18 year old white male who graduated high school, I too had the option of playing by the rules or living a life of crime. All of us who graduated then and now have the same options. Why does it seem to be made out as only a problem with coloreds?
23 posted on 02/25/2002 4:21:53 AM PST by tal hajus
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To: small voice in the wilderness
Does the game have any spaces for "Welfare Check Friday" or "Get Girl Knocked Up - Create More 'Life As A Blackman' Players" or "Don't Get An Education Or You'll Be Accused Of Being An Oreo"? Just curious.
24 posted on 02/25/2002 4:29:14 AM PST by GreatOne
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To: GreatOne
I'm waiting for the I didn't get this job/scholarship because I'm qualified. I got it because I'm black square.
25 posted on 02/25/2002 5:21:16 AM PST by Bigoleelephant
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To: kattracks
Don't make stupid assumptions, Chuck. You know what happens when you ASSUME, don'tcha?
26 posted on 02/25/2002 10:39:28 AM PST by CounterCounterCulture
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Yes, crime is a choice. But now Chuckie, does your little game include black-on-black crime? Do you land on another "playah," take half his money and knock him back a few spaces? You keepin' it real? Do your crime cards include rape and beatin' your woman or ditching child support? Which values you teachin' here, Chuckie?
27 posted on 02/25/2002 10:44:37 AM PST by CounterCounterCulture
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Actually out of curiosity I'd love to play this game once. I feel like takin' on da man!
28 posted on 02/25/2002 11:11:40 AM PST by CounterCounterCulture
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To: 7thson
They're all sell-outs to DA MAN, according to black leftist extremists.
29 posted on 02/25/2002 11:14:57 AM PST by CounterCounterCulture
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To: kattracks
"Sensitivity training", huh...

What was that whiny-a$$ bullsh!t I saw on Dateline a year or so ago, some hard-a$$ of a (white) woman running around with some sensitivity training dogwaste, something about blue eyes and brown eyes.

Just get me into one a them sensitizing classes. I'll show you blue eyes and brown eyes. Some folks are weak and easily strongarmed around, dude. Bring it on LOOOOSAHS!

30 posted on 02/25/2002 11:17:55 AM PST by maxwell
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To: Mercuria; Trueblackman; rebuildus; abigail2; Rejoyce; NewDestiny
B.O.N.D./Project 21 BUMP
31 posted on 02/25/2002 12:29:45 PM PST by CounterCounterCulture
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New thread:
A new board game is out called "Life as a Black Man"
32 posted on 02/27/2002 1:48:19 PM PST by CounterCounterCulture
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To: kattracks
Sawyer would also like to see his game used by corporations for "sensitivity training."

What?
33 posted on 02/28/2002 3:38:20 PM PST by Michael2001
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To: kattracks
Thank god for B.O.N.D. and the "real" Reverend Jesse...

As I've said before, I'd like to make a game called SHAKEDOWN...it's where you can play your choice of different race warlords, such as the "Reverend" Jesse HiJackson or Al Sharpton ...the cards will say stuff like "Counsel President on Extra-marital affairs, advance 2 spaces", and "Have love-child out of wedlock, go back 3 places"...

34 posted on 03/07/2002 11:58:54 AM PST by Frances_Marion
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To: kattracks
So, who is going to make the white version of the game? You know, the one that has squares where you didn't get the job because you weren't black, or you aren't elligible for any financial assistance because you don't have any illegitimate children, or pay $500 because you lose a reverse discrimination lawsuit because supposedly reverse discrimination does not exist.

Instead of the makers of this game trying to keep the racial divide going, why didn't they create the game in amanner where the choices emphasized following in the footsteps of black people that succeeded through hard work and making 'good' choices, instead of taking the illegal fast track?

I can't help but wonder what sort of noises would have been made had someone created a game geared only towards white people.

35 posted on 03/10/2002 9:43:58 AM PST by ET(end tyranny)
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