‘Troubles’ themed board game where players can play as IRA condemned by survivors’ group
The ATroubles-themed board game has been condemned by many survivor groups for “minimizing the suffering” of victims of the Northern Ireland conflict.
The board game was called The Troubles: Shadow War in Northern Irelandallows players to play as the “British Forces”, “IRA”, “Loyalist Paramilitaries”, “Royal Ulster Constabulary” and leading nationalist or unionist politicians between 1964 and 1998 in a “card-driven simulation” game.
The Troubles is the term used to describe the ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland between the late 1960s and the Good Friday Agreement in 1998 that resulted in more than 3,500 deaths, more than half of them civilians.
Dr., a trauma education officer at WAVE Trauma Center. Paul Gallagher said the cross-community advocacy group found the play “rude and insensitive”.
He said: “This is not a Trivial Pursuit, this is just real life and we need to teach it the right way. Not from the words of those who plant the bombs, fire the bullets or work behind the scenes in government…we need to hear it through the eyes of those who suffered and lived through it.”
The repercussions of the Troubles can still be felt in Northern Ireland today, according to Kenny Donaldson, director of Northern Ireland support group South East Fermanagh Foundation, who expressed concern that the game could be triggering for Troubles survivors throughout the community.
“We know this game has been in development for the last five years, but we only recently became aware of it and have since spoken to a fair cross-section of victims/survivors to gain their perspective,” he said. Independent. “There is significant potential for some victims/survivors to feel triggered by this new US-produced board game, and many will feel it has the effect of minimizing their suffering.”
The game’s main artwork features a photo of the Oil Bomber mural, which is part of the historic “Free Derry Corner”. The game is described on its website as a card simulation game for two to six players that “depicts Paramilitary and Security Force conflict.” Cards that are part of the game reference “Bombing”, “Nutting Squad”, “Detention” and “Bandit Country”.
One of the cards refers to “Stakeknife”, the notorious IRA mole linked to at least 14 murders and 15 kidnappings. This mole is believed to be Belfast man Freddie Scappaticci, who denied his identity until his death in 2023, aged 77.
Players adopt the role of a “faction”, choosing between paramilitary or security forces, and attempt to prevail over their opponents. Paramilitary players are given the option to attack or collude with security forces, while political groups can choose to support terrorism, share power or participate in elections.
The game has been promoted for pre-sale since 2021 by US game developers Compass Games on their website, priced at $85 (£62.82). It was originally planned to be released in 2023 but was later postponed. According to reports as of Friday morning Belfast Telegraph And Guard, seems to have been removed from website.
Bill Thomas, the company’s founder and president, said: Guard The game remains in development and will not be released for several years. “This is not the final version. It’s not even close to being final. It needs to be playtested. We’re doing a lot of improvements on it.”
He added that it was intended to be an educational tool.
“Kids in their twenties and thirties in America don’t know anything about history. You’ve got to make it interesting,” he said, adding that unless history is told in an engaging way, people outside the UK won’t understand the “tough times” experienced by Northern Ireland residents. “Do you want no one outside Northern Ireland or the UK to know that this happened and for this memory to never exist?”
Mr Donaldson rejected the idea that the board game could be used for educational purposes as there was no evidence that the subject was addressed in a trauma-focused way.
“As a group, we are heavily involved in different initiatives that examine the Troubles through the lens of education, learning and promoting non-recurrence of violence. We carry out this work in a sensitive and trauma-informed manner. It is not clear that this is the case with this particular board game ‘educational resource’,” he said.
“What would be the likely reaction from 9/11 families if these US producers made a similar board game about 9/11, where the players were the FBI, the terrorist killer pilot, etc. There would rightly be opposition and concern – and this would also be shared by the many victims/survivors affected by the ‘Northern Ireland Troubles’.”
Independent Compass Games has been contacted for comment.
