New Taiwanese boardgame offers chance to battle Chinese invasion
As families in Taiwan prepare to gather for lunar new year celebrations in January, a game that will be released that month promises to offer some war-themed fun over the festive period.
The board game 2045, developed by the Taiwanese company Mizo Games, invites players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years in the future. Players are given roles that include Taiwanese army officers, Chinese sleeper agents and volunteer citizen fighters.
“We can’t predict the future, but if a conflict is unavoidable I hope this game gives people a chance to experience war on the tabletop before it reaches us,” KJ Chang, the founder of Mizo Games, told the Wall Street Journal.
The game is being released at a time when China has increased its military pressure around the self-governing island. Taiwan has never been ruled by the People’s Republic of China but Beijing regards it as part of its territory and has promised to “unify” it with China, using force if necessary.
Observers do not know when, if ever, China will launch a military operation against Taiwan. But some analysts have pointed to the years around 2050 as a possible risk period. Xi Jinping, China’s leader and military commander-in-chief, has pledged to build a “world-class army” by the middle of the century, and 2049, the centenary of the People’s Republic of China, is the date by which Beijing wants to achieve “national rejuvenation”.
