An Overview of Home-Making: A Game that explores resolutions against gentrification

 Home-Making

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Narrative

Across the country, cities are in crisis as communities are being impacted by redevelopment efforts (a.k.a gentrification). Millions of people are being dislocated from their home communities and are pushed further and further away from the places that they call home due to the increased cost of living without the resources and opportunities to sustain themselves in this new era of their home communities. In Home-Making, players will help communities being impacted by gentrification by advocating and collaborating with community members to re-imagine what life can look like in their newly developed homes. Players can explore the possibilities of action and resolution through the path of characters such as a new community member, an activist, an elected official, or a local business owner. Let’s Re-imagine home.   .. What can you do to help solve this crisis? 

Players will tackle the issues of redevelopment and gentrification issues one city at a time. First, the players will choose a city, and then the players have four weeks to make a difference and turn things around. If players are able to solve all of the challenges, connect with the “right” people, and implement an effective strategy then they will be able to support and help the community.

City Selection: 

Each city is experiencing a different obstacle: 

Bay Area California, SAVE OUR CULTURE: Community landmarks are disregarded, and residents are losing historical landmarks that represent culture: 

• Historical minority-owned

• restaurants are closing

• Arts cafe is closed  

• Local artists can no longer afford to live and create art in the city. Art education programs are failing. 
  
  

  
  
  
  

• New York City, New York (Brooklyn) HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS! Native people are being pushed away from their homes resulting in living further away from spaces that they occupied. In addition to an exodus of minority residents who are disproportionately impacted by gentrification, the community is also experiencing a significant crisis and increase homelessness. The city can do so much better to support residents.  

• Detroit, Michigan SUPPORT NATIVE EMPLOYMENT AND BUSINESSES: Redevelopment has lead to a surge in new businesses, but none of the new businesses reflect the population needs of the native community. How do we support native business owners and ensure that resources are available that respond to the professional and service needs of the community?

Characters

Players have a menu of four characters to choose from: non-profit worker/ leader, business owner, new resident, and elected official. The players can customize their characters' physical features, but each character has a backstory, a unique perspective on the community, and either a helpful or unhelpful community network. As players create their strategies for helping community members they can leverage the strengths of their characters,

Non-profit Worker/ Leader Description: a long history of standing up for what is right when it’s unpopular, — even in high school, the community activist is deeply invested in doing the work and advocating for the needs of the community. Strengths :  Strong Public Speaker  Deeply aware of major issues in the community  Strong connection with community members and residents  Strong connection with the business community through

Business Owner Description:  After being in business for over a decade, the business owner has witnessed quite a few changes throughout the city. Their mission has always been to deliver their products with excellence and treat their customers with respect. Their products and customer service are a favorite not just of residents but also for tourists who come to visit. In search of the simple things, the business owner never foresaw themselves as one who would need to be “front and center, but the dire conditions of the city’s current state has ignited inspiration for action.  Responsibilities and Strengths:  Strong ties to the local business community. Possess a valuable understanding of the long term financial needs of the community and needs of business owners

New to the City Description: The new person in town only moved for a new job. They couldn’t have asked for a better community, it feels just like home. After settling in for a few weeks, and not meeting any native community members, something doesn’t seem right. If they are really interested in settling down in this new community long-term, they need to understand what the city and community are all about. In their search to learn about the essence of the community, they learn the ugly truth of how community members are being impacted. Unable to idly standby, they are compelled to take action.  Strengths  Good at meeting new people and making new friends Bold, adventurous, and unafraid of challenges  Moved to the new city after accepting a new job offer in Public Relations Elected Official Description: New to their term, the challenges surrounding redevelopment in their city are a major priority. During their campaign business owners and corporate sponsors were very clear in their expectations for the long-term financial plans and developments of the city. Equally, the local community members are applying the pressure of a quick change that benefits the community and not just the pockets of the officials' supporters. Torn between their obligations between two interest groups, can this elected official move the needle towards change for the people? Strengths  Eloquent and charismatic Awareness of the top priorities of redevelopment interest groups An influential member of the board of elected officials. Their suggested policies have a strong track record of success and acceptance by political stakeholders Rules, scoring system,  and purpose of the game To win the game and successfully re-imagine the selected city, players must complete a series of obstacles in order to combat the negative impacts of gentrification and redevelopment. If each obstacle is completed within the specified time limit (5 weeks total for the game/ 10 minutes total for each challenge) then the player has a strong chance of resolving some of the challenges around gentrification and inequality.  Obstacles:  Week 1: Crack the community Code The first Challenge is to find out what the people need. You know the problem/ issue, but what is most helpful to the original residents of the community? The best way to find out is to ask: The player has one week to find out what community members need The player’s selected character will determine how easy/difficult it will be to obtain information from community members Depending on the selected character, the character may have to get creative with connecting with the people who are being negatively impacted Cracking the community code:  For example, characters such as the new person in town and the elected official will meet a lot of community members who do not trust them. The player must think of a way to QUICKLY build relationships with community members and find out what is needed. These characters have the options of:  Canvassing in parks, religious buildings, and school meetings for community quotes, but this effort will not give them the information that is needed in their timeframe, therefore they lose in week one  Alternatively, if they team up/ collaborate with one of the other main characters (business owner, activist, etc., they may find that two brains are better than one).  Week 2: Form an alliance:. After successfully identifying what the community needs, it is time to start working towards action as the game is in week two and time is quickly passing. .. Out of the non-selected characters, the player will have to decide which party will be best to support their agenda.  The choice of the wrong character will stall their progress. To complete this challenge, the character must pay close attention to the information and clues provided by the community members. This clue will help the player to discern which character is a culprit that has supported the negative effects of development.   Week 3 Build a support group. After an alliance is formed, the player is closer to executing the action that can change the course of development for this community. There is power in numbers, it is time to organize a group of people who believe in the cause and are willing to take a stand. But where to start? First, the player must decide on a strategy: Organize business owners for a meeting with the city officials  Organize community members for peaceful protest  Organize an interest group and petition for new policies    After honing in on a strategy the player must make a compelling and persuasive speech to reach and persuade participants to support their cause. How will they do it? Leveraging their characters’ unique strengths, the player will:  Business owner host a mixer event to rally members  Elected official: appear at a local festival to spread awareness Activist: distribute rally information via media campaign (social media and )  New to the city: Leverage support from ally to reach a group  Week 4: Showtime Take Action. After deciding on a strategy and building a support group, the time has come to take action. The action group has worked tirelessly over the past week to communicate community needs: Community sit-ins Community March  Meeting with elected officials Players Progress in the game are captured using the following systems: Community "Progress" System which indicates whether or not the community member is supported and trusted by the community: