There is a collective global image of Brazil that imagines the country in stereotypical ways: from a constellation of crumbling favelas in its cities to the lush greenery of the indigenous-inhabited Amazon rainforest, in stark contrast, and the glory of its national football team, five-time FIFA world champions. However, Brazil is more than that. While it is easy to conjure up the sensory experiences of its world-famous carnival parties, the sounds of samba and bossa nova, or the streets seen in evocative films like City of God, real-life Brazil is far more complex. While it is true that there are favelas, indigenous villages, and other impoverished areas, even these enclaves hide different versions of Brazil that have made important contributions to its culture at large, including through board games.
Brazilian studio Maloca Games was created by impoverished Brazilians who came from different marginalized groups. CEO Rennan Gonçalves recalls how the experience of the North American board game convention Gen Con in 2020 brought together “a lot of black people who were part of this universe, who organized themselves to form their own projects coming from digital games, RPGs, board games, and others.” The two studio members who attended were later joined by two other creators.
“Maloca Games emerged from that meeting, uniting our passion for games and our desire to develop a representation of our culture and reality,” Gonçalves recalls. “We wanted games that would speak directly to our people. So, four black and ghetto people who are dedicated to games got together to make this dream come true.
“However, there was a need to create a segment to classify those projects that, in their essence, diverged from those offered by the mainstream industry,” Gonçalves continues, referring to the creation of digital and analog games focused on Africa: “This is how Afrogames was born.”
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Gonçalves' studio has grown a lot over the past year thanks to its participation in Brazilian conventions such as Perifacon, Diversão Offline and ExpoFavela, as well as releasing more games to the market. Maloca Games was founded in the second half of 2022; the following year it released four games. The expectation for 2024 is to have eight more games in its catalogue, having already sold thousands of copies and donated another 500 to poor neighborhoods in Brazil.
High prices for board games make it difficult for impoverished communities to access more expensive and complex games.
The word 'maloca' describes ancestral houses inhabited by indigenous peoples of the Amazon, mainly from Colombia and Brazil. They also house several families with patrilineal ties under the same roof, protecting their community and identities. Maloca is also a slang term used to refer to favela houses. Residents of favela houses live on the margins of Brazil, one of the most socially unequal countries in the world. The pastime of board games also reflects this inequality.
Brazilian geek culture journalist Gabriela Franco tells Dicebreaker that board game culture in the country “could [be] The study considers that “it is better, since it is an underexplored market compared to Europe and the United States”, but proposes that “among Latin American countries, Brazil is at the top when it comes to board games”. According to the Brazilian Toy Manufacturers Association (Abrinq), in 2021 more than 1.2 billion pounds were generated in board games, tabletop role-playing games, puzzles and card games, 4% more than the previous year. According to Game Brasil Research, in 2019 at least 28% of the Brazilian population played board games.
Franco acknowledges the role of social class in Brazilians’ enjoyment of gaming. The cost of board games can be prohibitive for those without financial means, with some games costing as much as £160 when the Brazilian monthly minimum wage is around £223. In addition to the higher cost of their production, board games are subject to import taxes, inflation and licensing fees. Public gaming venues, such as board game cafes, may offer a more accessible way to enjoy the hobby, but physical spaces to play are scarce.
“Some games are outside the reality of the average Brazilian,” says Franco, adding that many players lean towards card games because of their lower cost and greater accessibility. “High prices [of board games] hindering impoverished communities from accessing more expensive and complex games.”
Games can cost up to £160 when the Brazilian monthly minimum wage is around £223.
Andreza Delgado, co-creator and organizer of the Perifacon favela nerd convention, agrees that socioeconomic context, combined with racial prejudice, affects the ability of many Brazilians to participate in board games: “There is a huge gap caused by social class, and in Brazil, ‘social class’ refers to ‘race.’”
Social class and race are not the only prejudices that board games must overcome, Delgado adds. “Board games encounter even more obstacles because playful activities are perceived as superfluous, and then there is the issue of chronological age: once you become an adult, people say you can’t play anymore because ‘it’s just for kids.’”
Despite its success, Maloca Games still has an uphill battle ahead. According to Franco, board game publishers have invested more in games created in and with themes related to Brazil, resulting in a greater representation of their cultures, but there is still much room for improvement. Franco believes that most Brazilian players still prefer imported games, as diversity and accurate representation of Brazil's reality are less of a concern for more established developers.
“We still have little representation in game publishers, especially in the creative and leadership sections,” he says, advocating for greater diversity within relevant Brazilian companies and in the rooms where these games are created.[The industry] “There are no women, blacks, indigenous people and other minorities acting as consultants on the relevant issues, but they are mostly at the forefront of these businesses. It is a widespread problem in the Brazilian pop culture market, which is extremely white-male and misogynistic.” However, “some independent publishers are fighting to change this reality.”
The board game industry lacks women, black people, indigenous people, and other minorities to act as consultants on relevant issues, but above all to lead these businesses.
Maloca’s own games exemplify the representation that Franco feels is missing in many games. The card game Axé: A Energia dos Orixás (Axé: The Energy of the Orishas) features deities, such as Ogun and Shango, based on the pantheon of the Yoruba people of West Africa, who have a notable diaspora in Brazil. Extensions of African religions that worship these deities are also represented in places like Cuba, Haiti, and New Orleans. (The animated series Castlevania Nocturne co-star Annette recently brought the culture to a wider audience.)
Favela Venceu (The Favela Has Won) also incorporates aspects of diversity and consideration of social issues. Players must build favelas capable of providing a safe structure and humane living conditions in these often impoverished and makeshift dwellings.
In Brazil, it was estimated in 2019 that more than five million households are spread across 13,000 favelas, located in 734 cities, including the Federal District. These areas suffer from state absence and are a living narrative that permeates not only Gonçalves’ games but also his own history. The Favela Has Won was based on the designers’ collective experience. By observing the daily routines of the favelas, they wanted a game that highlighted the lighter characteristics and resilience of these communities: “The response from the inhabitants of the favelas has been extremely positive, as we are talking about a dream that is still under construction: a favela that has overcome adversity.”
The title of the tabletop role-playing game Quilombo Zero was inspired by communities formed by people who had been enslaved and who escaped from slavery. The game takes place in a favela in a future where ancestral tradition has recreated society after a major environmental disaster. Players are part of a group of hackers called Quilombo Zero, whose mission is to help the inhabitants of the favela. The role-playing game is aimed at newcomers to the world of role-playing games, but can also entertain veterans.
We are here building bridges, so that people can cross.
Gonçalves describes the influence of Afro-Brazilian, indigenous, LGBTQ+ and favela cultures on Maloca’s games as “fundamental to making our games authentic, representative and inclusive.” As well as being games for players to enjoy, Delgado believes the titles represent “important educational work” for those outside of those communities: “Everyone wins with diversity.”
“We are here to build bridges, so that people can cross them,” says Delgado. “I firmly believe in Maloca’s potential to educate through play.”
With the emergence of studios like Maloca Games, board games in Brazil are increasingly becoming a model of representation that brings together people from different social classes, cultures and countries. Maloca Games is a reference when it comes to representing the country's favelas in the industry and on the table where the games are played.