New Taiwanese boardgame offers chance to battle Chinese invasion

As families in Taiwan prepare to gather for lunar new year celebrations in January, a game that will be released that month promises to offer some war-themed fun over the festive period.

The board game 2045, developed by the Taiwanese company Mizo Games, invites players to participate in an imaginary Chinese invasion 20 years in the future. Players are given roles that include Taiwanese army officers, Chinese sleeper agents and volunteer citizen fighters.

“We can’t predict the future, but if a conflict is unavoidable I hope this game gives people a chance to experience war on the tabletop before it reaches us,” KJ Chang, the founder of Mizo Games, told the Wall Street Journal.

The game is being released at a time when China has increased its military pressure around the self-governing island. Taiwan has never been ruled by the People’s Republic of China but Beijing regards it as part of its territory and has promised to “unify” it with China, using force if necessary.

Observers do not know when, if ever, China will launch a military operation against Taiwan. But some analysts have pointed to the years around 2050 as a possible risk period. Xi Jinping, China’s leader and military commander-in-chief, has pledged to build a “world-class army” by the middle of the century, and 2049, the centenary of the People’s Republic of China, is the date by which Beijing wants to achieve “national rejuvenation”.

Mizo Games launched a crowdfunding campaign for their new product in August. Within months, it had raised NTD$4.1m (£99,468), surpassing its original target by more than 4,000%.

2045 is the latest in a series of entertainment products in Taiwan that focus on the threat of an attempted Chinese annexation. This year also saw the release of Zero Day, a Taiwanese government-funded television series that depicts a Chinese invasion. It also received support from Robert Tsao, a Taiwanese tech billionaire and supporter of Taiwan’s civil defence efforts.

As well as receiving the first copies of the game, VIP backers of the crowdfunding campaign will receive extra Taiwan-themed products. They include a leather passport cover embossed with the words: “Let my fly as a Taiwanese”, a nod to Taiwan’s lack of international recognition.

Most countries in the world only have formal diplomatic relations with China. Beijing insists that countries should not recognise Taiwan as a separate country from China and puts pressure on governments to cut ties with Taipei.