Puerto Rico and morality

[shallowgrave]

I'll preface this by saying I think Puerto Rico is a brilliantly designed game

BUT I am slightly concerned that it would appear to be about efficiently managing slave plantations and rewards players who drain a colony of resources whilst putting nothing back (the worst form of colonial exploitation).

I really don't know what to make of that. What do other people think?

[Zaphod]

I don't like to take these kinds of things too seriously, so it doesn't bother me. In general, I think anything historical is fair game (pun intended), and our history is riddled with exploitation. It would be a shame to exclude certain time periods/events just because our sense of morality today is different that it was in the past. Most people aren't bothered by games that recreate battles that killed thousands of humans because its mostly abstracted. I think its the same with Puerto Rico.

[shallowgrave]

Thanks for that reply, which I think was very fair.

I think now that my title for this thread was a bit misleading. "Morality" is a rather censorious term and could be seen as implying that I strongly disapprove of Puerto Rico and by implication the people who play it. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Certainly I play games which encompass 'bad' or questionable behaviour and don't have any qualms about them. Yet, personally, I find that Puerto Rico treads perilously close to a line that I would not wish to cross. I am not quite sure what that line is or indeed whether it is a valid one. I think it has something to do not so much with historical events as to the way those historical events are portrayed.

[Andy Van Zandt]

As long as it's not historically inaccurate for the sole purpose of glorifying a negative concept, it doesn't bother me. If I felt it was borderline propaganda or trying to advance a particular agenda, then I would definitely be more hesitant about it, but Puerto Rico (and similarly, Endeavor) don't seem to be doing that, so I'm ok with it.

[shallowgrave]

Many thanks for that reply. I was a little worried when I started this thread of stirring up the understandable irritation of people who enjoy Puerto Rico and might think i was trying to spoil their fun.

I think there is a line-but the reality of that line is (for me) much closer to what you have stated than where I was inclined to pitch it.

I think I can go back to Puero Rico and enjoy it for the great game it is without that nagging doubt which was really starting to bug me.

thanks again