MSc Serious Games & Virtual Reality School of Innovation & Technology
Siqing Xu
Siqing Xu is a game designer and 3D game artist with a passion for both video games and tabletop games. Areas of expertise include game systems design, level design, board game design, 3D modeling, and environment art.
DISPARITY – A Single-Player Board Game About Wealth Inequality
In real life, you don’t get to choose where you start. But in DISPARITY, you can. Step into the shoes of different social classes and experience the journey from childhood to old age. Begin as a Wealthy Elite with every advantage, or start from the Working Class and fight your way up. Throughout the game, you’ll improve yourself through everyday actions—going to the gym, visiting the library—while facing life’s inevitable challenges. Choices you make may influence the distribution of social wealth, which in turn will affect your income and the cost of living. Of course, if you have enough money, most of these problems won’t bother you… But when you finally achieve the life you always dreamed of, will you still remember what those dreams once were?
“Progress is not making the rich richer, but making sure the poor are no longer in hardship.” — [Movie: The Pursuit of Happyness]
DISPARITY is a single-player board game about wealth inequality, inspired by the ideas and advocacy of British economist Gary Stevenson. With four starting classes and nine levels of social wealth distribution, the game offers 36 unique starting combinations—making it highly replayable.
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LABEL ERA – A Board Game About Label Effect
LABEL ERA – AKSO is a serious board game about the label effect, inspired by the profound impact labels have on individuals and society. Whether it is an unintended stereotype or an intentional social expectation, labels often become invisible chains that restrict personal growth. Through this game, we hope players will confront the complexity of the label effect, experiencing how labels can shape identity, limit choices, and influence relationships.
In the depths of the universe, the mysterious planet AKSO shines with diversity and harmony. One day, an unknown spaceship arrives, bringing a tempting gift — labels. At first, these labels celebrate individuality, but they soon turn into tools of control and restraint. Chaos follows, and AKSO’s society falls into anxiety. A quiet yet profound struggle begins — a battle between self and the labels that bind it.
Dear player, you will join four companions with very different personalities on a search for life’s meaning. Play as characters from diverse backgrounds, gather the resource “Stardust,” manipulate labels, form alliances, and shift the balance of power. Every choice you make can alter your abilities, shape your identity, and determine where you belong. Will you accept the chains of your labels, or break free from them to shape your destiny?
