We are Dissent Campaigns & Games, and we create games for the campaigning sector. This ranges from workshop games (simple exercises which help frame an idea or structures to roleplay campaigning messages) through to polished, boxed board games on a campaigning theme.

About our work

In 2019 we created a co-operative board game called Disarm the Base, in which peace protesters move around a board, finding and disarming warplanes while avoiding security guards. This was our first game, and creating it was a genuinely brilliant experience (which you can read more about at disarmthebase.com), with profits going to Campaign Against Arms Trade.

The ability to dissent, peacefully and respectfully, is a fundamental part of democracy. We think that games and campaigning fit together perfectly, because games are a way of challenging the norms and asking ourselves questions. Games can be part of our pathway to dissent by showing us how to speak out.

This website contains different strands:

• Workshop exercises and games for anyone to print out and use
• Blog posts on the latest card or board game we are creating
• Information blog posts about specific political knowledge or campaigning tools

The workshop games and the information are completely free. If you use one of the workshop games or exercises, it would be lovely if you could let us know how it went. Please do drop us a line by email, or tag us on Twitter (we’re @DissentGames). Tell other people how much you enjoyed playing it and how it helped your workshop!

About our people

The person doing most of the work is Jessica Metheringham. Jess was previously responsible for political engagement for Quakers in Britain, and has also worked for the Electoral Commission, with local government and in the UK Parliament. Find her at Twitter or LinkedIn, or hire her to work on a game for your campaign.

Our new project, Library Labyrinth, welcomes a whole team of brilliant women! Ella, Mill and Sam are all part of the core team, and you can find out more about them on the team section of the Library Labyrinth website.

The other half of the Disarm the Base team was Mark Bijak, who did all the illustrations and graphic design. He has many other exciting things at https://markbijak.com, or you could look for him on Instgram, LinkedIn, Dribble, Pinterest, Behance

Dissent Campaigns & Games Ltd is a non-for-profit organisation limited by guarantee. Jude Haigh and Oliver Robertson are on the steering group and are the legal directors registered at Companies House.