This movement that I have called ludoztli (making games) exhorts the artist to stop making non interactive art, and break the wall between the art object and the passive viewer.

Learn about the three board games I created based on the political frontier between México and the United States. With them, I attempt to promote discourse and interest among players about the reality of the border.

Check material by other artists and designers that make use of games to promote their social concerns and perspectives

My name is Francisco Ortega-Grimaldo, a Doctor in Critical Studies and Artistic Practices. I work as an Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University’s School of Art.

Observance: Board game Details

Because Observance is based on Battleship®, I encounter the challenge of creating a format that could allow privacy for each player’s moves. I originally thought about making two separated sets, and let distance be the factor that allowed privacy, but after testing the scenario it did not felt right. One of the main points of this game is the closeness of the interaction that the characters represent in the situation on the border. The action of the immigrants breaking into the border has a direct counter-action from immigration officers that try to stop them. This is not a “remote controlled” action or something that happens indirectly. It is not about pressing a button on one part of the world and as a result something explodes somewhere else. Battleship allows this “indirectness” due to the abstracted resemblance of a modern war where the killer is anonymous. In Observance, the characters on the U.S. side have to explore the immediate border with México where immigrants are passing through. Because of this, I decided to create a joined set where the only division is a “wall” that illustrates cultural perspectives from the character’s point of view.

For example, for the U.S. side, the illustration represents the elements of technology used to capture immigrants. It gives the feeling of being inside of a vehicle equipped with radar, night vision, and computerized feedback. I also used this area to add some of the basic rules and help the player throughout the game.

For the Mexican side, I tried to represent the view of an immigrant from inside an old truck, looking towards the U.S and the challenges ahead. I imagined being inside of an old Chevy truck arriving at the borderline close to sunset, waiting for the connection that will take me through. From there I can see a city, the place to reach where I would not be so exposed and vulnerable to the border police. There I will be able to mingle and start searching for work.

The coordinates section is similar on both sides. It is the shared area where everything happens. The border police will come from the upper coordinates (A-1 or A-9) downwards trying to intercept illegal immigrants that will come across the river (any coordinate from line G) and try to move up, looking for safe spots. Characters could share the same spot and not even know that they are so close to each other. Only by calling the right moves, the border police will be able to capture their opponent’s pieces. On the other hand, immigrants need to explore the ground and callout coordinates to know if that is a safe spot or if they found the desired “green card.”

go back to Observance's page