Taiwanese company Mizo Games has launched a new board game that allows players to take on the roles of military commanders and secret agents to civilian resistance fighters fighting a fictional Chinese invasion.

The game, called “2045,” will be released in Taiwan this month. It will also be released later in January in English in Europe and the US.

In August 2024, Mizo Games launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise over NT$4 million (US$121,707) within two and a half months.

In an interview with Reuters news agency in December, Zhang Shaolian, founder of Mizo Games, said: “I want players to feel like they want to win and think about what they will do to win.”

The game launches amid escalating tensions between China and Taiwan, with China increasing its military activities near the island and its increasing efforts… Civil defense groups to Prepare for any possible invasion.

So how does the game work and can it be used to prepare for war?

What is 2045 all about?

The board game simulates the Chinese invasion of Taiwan 20 years in the future and players role-play the course of the 10 days leading up to the attack.

Instead of focusing solely on defending Taiwan, players are evaluated based on how effectively they achieve their character’s set objectives.

There are two types of victories, individual victory and Taiwan victory. The two outcomes constitute a major conflict of values ​​for the players. “I don’t want players to play the game with just a learning mindset, but I want them to play the game with the desire to participate and win this war at the table,” Shao Lian told Reuters.

In the year 2045, players can participate in various aspects of modern warfare, including cyber warfare, economic collapse, and civil unrest.

The production of “2045” faced many challenges, most notably concerns about censorship and production restrictions.

The game’s controversial subject matter prevents it from being manufactured in China, a departure from the usual production practices of Taiwanese board game companies.

Have Mizo Games produced other war-themed board games?

Yes, Mizo released its first war-themed game, Raid on Taihoku, in 2017. The game is set in Taiwan during World War II, where players must survive the bombing of their city. The game is based on the American air attack on Kaohsiung (then known as Takao) in November 1944.

What drives the popularity of military games?

Games with social and political themes are nothing new, according to Paul Booth, professor of media and popular culture at DePaul University’s School of Communication in Chicago, and author of “Board Games as Media,” who spoke to Al Jazeera.

“A game like 2045 is important because it allows us to imagine and play with the possibilities of what could happen. In a way, like a TV show or a movie, we can watch it, and we can feel invested in it. We can feel involved.”

“The power of a game like this is in allowing players to feel connected, like involved, connected to this alternate history.”

Booth said 2045 is part of a long-term enthusiasm for “the game” of important social issues.

Board games that make use of social commentary go back more than a century. The Landlord’s Game, created by Elizabeth Magee in 1902, was designed to teach players about the negative effects of collecting land under private monopoly control and seizing land.

In 1935, the game was modified and commercialized by Charles Darrow and Parker Brothers, who modified its rules and themes to emphasize competition and wealth accumulation, and it became known as Monopoly.

War is another such issue which has prompted the production of games both for military preparation for conflict and among civilians.

“War is an important topic that goes back centuries. War games where generals place troops on a giant table and plan military actions. This is a very popular type of board game,” Booth explained.

“Wargaming culture is actually still very strong, and we see it in things like Warhammer [released in 1983]Or mini board games.

It’s not just board games that capture the imagination of Taiwanese media companies when it comes to the idea of ​​a Chinese invasion.

“Day Zero” is a 10-episode fantasy television drama series, depicting a possible Chinese invasion. The show depicts a scenario in which the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the military force of the People’s Republic of China, attacks the island, a possibility that has cast a shadow over Taiwan for generations.

The show is scheduled to be released this year in Taiwan.

Why are tensions rising between Taiwan and China?

The roots of the conflict between China and Taiwan can be traced back to the Chinese Civil War, which raged from 1945 to 1949. This conflict culminated in the victory of the Communist Party led by Mao Zedong over the Nationalist Party led by Chiang Kai-shek, also known as the Kuomintang. Kuomintang).

Following the Chinese Civil War, Chiang Kai-shek transferred the government of the Republic of China to Taiwan, while Mao Zedong declared the establishment of the People’s Republic of China on the mainland. Each regime asserted its authority as the sole legitimate government of the entire Chinese nation, leading to decades of political tension and competing claims to Chinese sovereignty.

China continues to view Taiwan as part of its territory.

In his 2025 New Year speech on Chinese state television channel CCTV on Wednesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping said: “The people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait are one family. No one can sever our family ties, and no one can stop the historic trend of national reunification.” .

However, Taiwan opposes any kind of “reunification” and views China’s increasingly frequent military exercises in the Taiwan Strait as “provocative.”

What military exercises did China conduct near Taiwan?

In August 2022, China launched missiles over Taiwan in response to then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan. She described it as “military training.”

Under the United States’ “One China Policy,” the United States does not officially recognize Taiwan’s independence from China. However, it supports its membership in international organizations such as the World Trade Organization. Furthermore, under the Taiwan Relations Act (TRA) of 1979, the United States is obligated to provide Taiwan with essential military equipment and support services to ensure that the island maintains an adequate self-defense capability.

During Pelosi’s visit to the island, the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs denounced the Chinese military maneuvers, considering them a serious threat to national security and a dangerous escalation of regional tensions.

In May 2024, China conducted large-scale military exercises, dubbed “Combined Sword 2024”, during Taiwanese President William Lai-cheng-te’s first week in office. The military exercises around Taiwan included 111 aircraft and 46 naval ships, and operations included naval attacks, land strikes, air defense exercises and anti-submarine activities.

In October 2024, China said the People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command launched new military exercises off the coast of Taiwan as “punishment” for a speech by Taiwan President Lai, in which he pledged to “resist annexation” or “encroach on our sovereignty.” Taiwan said it had detected 34 naval vessels and 125 aircraft around the island.

Most recently – on December 9 – Taiwan put its military on alert.High alert“, launching combat readiness drills and establishing an emergency center that “takes into account enemy threats,” after nearly 90 Chinese navy and coast guard vessels were sighted in waters near Taiwan, the southern Japanese islands, and the East and South China Seas.

Two days later, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense He said It has tracked 53 military aircraft, 11 naval vessels and eight civilian vessels near the island in the past 24 hours.

Does the Taiwanese military use games to prepare for war?

In December, Taiwan’s presidential office conducted its first-ever “tabletop” war games involving military and government officials simulating a military escalation with China to test the government’s readiness to respond and evaluate the effectiveness of various government agencies in maintaining societal stability and continuity. In times of crisis.

According to a statement from Taiwanese government officials, a war game simulation exercise was conducted inside the Presidential Office in Taipei, headed by Vice President Hsiao Bi-Khiem and Secretary-General of the National Security Council Joseph Wu.

Several government agencies, at both the central and local levels, along with various civil defense organizations, participated in the three-hour training, according to sources who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the event.