the Yellow Places is a board game designed by Colin Thil, following an invitation from the artist Joanna Wong.
The project's origins
The project was originally conceived for the exhibition Eat, Play, Protest at Atelier W in Pantin. Conceived by Joanna Wong, the exhibition featured a body of work by the artist on her relationship with the political situation in Hong Kong, with an emphasis on the impact of food. The opening included an edible landscape created by the artist, as well as several pieces and publications on the matter.
After several interviews with the artist as well as with Hong Kong residents, Colin Thil developed two cooperative game designs, each featuring an aspect of the daily life of Hong Kong activists. The first one, Yellow Places, is a board game where players have to find out which restaurants in Hong Kong support the pro-democracy movement. The second is a card game featuring the rhetorical strategies developed by Hong Kong activists to detect the political orientation of their interlocutor. Both games were presented at the exhibition, and were played frequently throughout the event, providing a welcoming setting.
The project now
The game the Yellow Places, was then presented on various occasions during residencies and workshops led by Joanna Wong. The game's design was published in open access on the website of the associatove publishing house Martian's Parlor, founded by Colin Thil.
Game description
Yellow Places is a cooperative game for 2 to 4 players. The game's graphic design, inspired by the appearance and physicality of majhong pieces, is designed to appeal to a wide range of audiences, while its streamlined design makes it accessible to children aged 8 and over, while providing enough challenge and strategic thoughts to stimulate an adult audience. In addition, the game pieces can also be used to play Colin Thil's other card game. Depending on the context, the game can be presented in different ways: for exhibitions, the board is printed on a large-format sheet then protected by a Plexiglas plate, while in workshops, the board is presented on a sticker affixed to rigid wooden plates.
The full rules of the game, as well as the files needed to print it, are available on the Martian's Parlor website.