Brilliantly designed, exciting and educational - this is how the jury of the Game of the Year association describes the board game e-Mission from Schmidt Spiele. The title has been awarded the Kennerspiel des Jahres 2024 award - but a scandal overshadowed the joy.
The jury of Spiel des Jahres eV has chosen the Kennerspiel des Jahres 2024. This prize, which
aimed at more experienced players, the sustainable world-saving "e-Mission" by Matt Leacock and Matteo Menapace was awarded. The board game was published by Schmidt Spiele. It is suitable for 1 to 4 players and costs around 78 euros.
The game shows the value of cooperation, said the jury in its statement. "If everyone pulls together, we can still overcome this global crisis." The statement is fitting - and it is fitting in two ways, especially when it comes to this year's Kennerspiel award. Because: Not only is an act of solidarity needed to avert the climate catastrophe, conflicts can also be resolved if everyone pulls together and not everyone pulls together. When one of the authors of E-Mission, Matteo Menapace, entered the stage with a melon sticker, the awards ceremony became a political issue.
The melon in the shape of Greater Palestine and as a symbol of the national flag of Palestine has become a subject of discussion - and here too, the otherwise perfect world of the board game bubble reflects what we know from everyday life: the dispute of the Israel-Palestine conflict is fought out inconclusively by bystanders, especially in the social media, sometimes with tough tactics.
One side argues that it is anti-Semitism, the other side sees legitimate protests. Harald Schrapers, chairman of the Spiel des Jahres association, wrote in a statement, among other things: "We find it intolerable that a game designer we invited wore a symbol on his clothing on stage that must be perceived as anti-Semitic by Jews."
The symbol is problematic because it does not just show the colors of the Palestinian national flag, but the outline of the "Region of Palestine" from before the Israeli War of Independence. And the author? What does Matteo Menapace himself say about his actions? He confirms that he is aware of the current and historical context that has led to the German institution "Spiel des Jahres eV" reacting with increased sensitivity to accusations of anti-Semitism. He takes the accusations seriously. However, according to Menapace, the debate about the shape of the sticker is "just a distraction." He would rather draw attention to the "reality of thousands of Palestinians who are disappearing from the map and urgently need humanitarian and medical help."
And there is no doubt that wars and occupations lead to humanitarian disasters - clear statements against conflicts in any form are desirable and necessary. One should not just look at things one-sidedly. However, this is part of the culture of debate, especially in the Middle East conflict - and it shows how symbols are used. Because: How can one take a position on the issue, even refer to the opinion of the International Court of Justice, but then completely ignore the terrorism of Hamas? Ultimately, the statements remain unsatisfactory - they are not pacifying anyway.
Game of the Year: Author “no longer wanted”
Whatever board games Matteo Menapace creates in the future, it is currently hardly conceivable that he will receive one of the prestigious Spiel des Jahres awards again. The author is "no longer welcome at events organized by the Spiel des Jahres association in the future," writes Harald Schrapers.
e-Mission is also being cancelled in the course of the discussion, especially by influencers. The politics of the Kennerspiel awards ceremony symbolically represents two things: It shows how permeated the board game scene can be with radical views. And it shows how difficult it is to have the ever-recurring discussion about the separation of work and author.
Is E-Mission a bad board game because of the scandal? No, not at all. Should we now look at this title with different eyes, perhaps even banish it from our home gaming table? Finding the answer to that is much more difficult.
By the way: Also nominated for the Kennerspiel des Jahres were “The Guild of Traveling Merchants” by Matthew Dunstan and Brett J. Gilbert (Skellig Games / AEG) and “Ticket to Ride Legacy – Legends of the West” by Rob Daviau, Matt Leacock and Alan R. Moon (Days of Wonder).
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Schmidt Spiele 49444 e-Mission, Kennerspiel des Jahres 2024* |
39,99 EUR |
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