The Cost will be available in advance from Spielworxx from July. This is not just about jokes and frolic, but about a topic that is often pushed into the background. Profitability over the environment, profit over manpower. How far can you go without losing your morale?
The game turns you into a boss in the asbestos industry. The one who makes the most profit wins, but you have to decide how far to go. The lives of the workers are at stake while the mining, refining and shipping industries make profits. But you cannot proceed in a very radical way, because health and safety regulations can put a stop to the company. Maybe even your own conscience.
A game that should encourage rethinking
You build your industry over four rounds and within approx. 75 minutes of playing time. At the beginning of each round you have to choose a country in which the asbestos is to be mined, from there your own industry continues to develop, but other processes are also set in motion. The author, Armando Canales, has come up with a game with sophisticated mechanics that is aimed at frequent gamers. Strategic planning and correctly assessing risks are in the foreground.
The Cost is a challenging economic game that puts players in the roles of companies involved in the asbestos industry.
The game is assigned to the genre "serious games", a category in which the games draw attention to problems in today's society. Other games are An Infamous Traffic, John Company, Colonialism and This Guilty Land.
Of course, the fun of the game should not be missing, but the topic of the game remains serious and is also brand new. Because asbestos, although it is carcinogenic, has not yet completely disappeared from the market. In Germany, the material has not been approved since the 90s, but that is not the case everywhere. In addition, the after-effects are not to be underestimated, the removal and disposal of asbestos is very expensive, as it is classified as hazardous waste. One of the reasons why the material is now and then found on the side of a country road. A dangerous matter, because leaching can get into the environment and ultimately into the groundwater.
The Cost, which is also recognizable by the name, wakes you up and makes you think. The game shows that the entertainment industry should and can address important issues. Of course, the game doesn't have to land on the table at every party, but it can lead to exciting discussions in a convivial group. Not only about asbestos, because this is a symbolic hook that stands for much more. The question is to what extent the economy stands above the environment and people?
The game The Cost will probably be released in Europe in early August and will also be produced here. Spielworxx is offering 1.000 copies in advance from July. The game costs 67,25 euros in the Online Store.
