The democracy in your head

A game about democracy and difficult decisions during the fight for women's suffrage a hundred years ago.

How do you make a democratic process more relatable to someone who doesn’t care? By making it about a single person, and their inner, conflicting voices who must make ten crucial life decisions. In this case, Märit, who lived in Bohuslän during the suffrage struggle just over 100 years ago.

Players are randomly assigned the role of one of Märit’s three inner voices, thus becoming part of the parliament inside Märit’s head – Parlamärit.

A bleacher in three colors separates the three groups in the room. The major life choices are shown on a central screen but each group votes from their mobile phones. With each life choice, the voices get their own way forward to argue for, but also insights into how absurd a woman’s life could be back then.

The three voices soon realize that they can only decide Märit’s life choices by majority decision and must compromise to move forward. Step by step, Märit’s life is shaped by the arguments and discussions of her inner voices. The voice that dominates most life choices emerges victorious from Märit’s head.

The Parlamärit game is placed in a room in the middle of the Courage 2021 exhibition, about local suffrage fighters 100 years ago. Why did they fight for democracy? The game is essentially created to give junior high and high school classes an understanding of democracy and who gets to make their voice heard.

Players register via mobile phone with a QR code and are randomly assigned one of three internal voices. Then they sit down in groups on the correct color. The game can be experienced in groups of different sizes via three, six or nine mobile phones.

Players represent three conflicting inner voices of Märit who lived 150 years ago – they become the parliament in Märit's head. Three silhouettes of women's heads overlapping in color represent Märit's inner conflict. Soon the players realize that they have to compromise in order for Märit to get on in life.

The first life choice is presented on the big screen. Of course, everyone votes for their own alternative. But it does not work. The three votes must reach a majority decision. So at least two votes must choose the same path, and one of the votes must give up its own way. Let the discussions begin…

Märit's life choices are discussed and voted through one by one. The different voices argue their case. Each decision is presented with a brief historical explanation before the next vote takes place.

The opening on International Women's Day on March 8, 2022.

Project: Parlamärit

Whose voice will be heard? A game about democracy and difficult decisions 100 years after the fight for women’s suffrage.

Exhibition: Mod 2021
Client: Bohusläns museum in Uddevalla
Target audience: 13-19 years

Project start: 2021-06-01
Opening: 2022-03-08
Size: 250 m²

Mission

A spatial game for junior high/high school that tangibly conveys how democracy works and shows the importance of everyone having their voice heard.

AO delivered game concepts, drawings, technical design, installation and lighting control for the game room.

The exhibition was based on Jienny Gellerstedt’s research on local suffrage fighters in Bohuslän in 1921. Due to the pandemic, the exhibition opened in 2022.

Team

Producer / Project manager: Jienny Gillerstedt
Exhibition design: Pia Hansson, Frida Edvall Karlsson
Game concept: Alexis Holmqvist, Per Gantelius
Game developer: Per Gantelius

Components

In the center of the exhibition, a circular room with and a lectern and bleachers.
Above the lectern a large screen.
Above the bleachers are spotlights controlled by the game, that light up to show winning votes etc.
The bleachers are divided into three colors like a parliament, one color for each inner voice.