"I know that doesn’t excuse it" – Creator of Irish Famine board game responds to backlash

Compass Games created the game as part of their Golden Age Collection, with a crowdsource of the game far exceeding its $2,500 goal.

Due to its subject matter, the game has naturally caused controversy among Irish people — particularly as over 4 million people either starved to death or emigrated — with the game saying that "survival is victory" with players needing to "save as many as you can, find aid or employment in Ireland, or scramble ports to secure passage to America."

Appearing on "Liveline" on Thursday, the board game’s designer, Kevin McPartland, described the game as a "historical simulation game," a genre of game mainly reserved for World War II. However, he felt that there were many historical events that should be told, which is why he ended up going for the Famine.

"In the game, you’re a poor tenant family struggling to get by, and potatoes are really a tremendous opportunity to do better," Mr McPartland said.

"But then the Blight arrives, things go pear-shaped, as the British say, and you’re scrambling to deal with the consequences."

The Great Hunger memorial on the quays of the River Liffey in Dublin.

Describing the game as "immersive", Mr McPartland added: "instead of watching a documentary or reading a book, you’re there. People have called these simulation games 'paper time machines', so you really get a sense of the story. At least in America, nobody really knows the whole story… hopefully I’ve been able to tell that story."

With other features of the game being that the potato "will help you grow your family", and a card of "Daniel O’Connor [O’Connell] is featured in a very good hand to help your family", other cards during the Famine period see you "essentially playing the British government", to try and hinder your opponents in the game — with the end game being trying to get to America.

Anticipating that they’re expected to sell around 1,500 copies of the game if it were to sell out, Mr McPartland said that he was blown away by support — but others, who are from the country where the game is based, are less than impressed.

"It was like a dagger to the heart," caller Tom told "Liveline".

"I cannot believe someone would be so insensitive. I hear what you’re saying about Trevelyan, and I hear the context behind it, but would you come up with a game called the Holocaust? How to Escape Auschwitz? There was a holocaust in my country in the 1800s."

"There are important differences between [the Holocaust] and An Gorta Mór; the first being time," Kevin responded.

"The events in Ireland occurred 100 years before the events in Germany, and no one who experienced the famine is alive today, not even their great-grandchildren. I know that doesn’t excuse it, but also the story of the Holocaust was just evil inflicted upon groups of people, while An Gorta Mór was a story of incompetence and upper levels of society just not caring about the lower levels of society.

"I see this happening in my country today and it’s horrible," Kevin continued.

A sketch of a woman and children represents Bridget O'Donnell a victim of the Irish Famine (London News, 1849).

"And the difference between upper and lower classes is just unfair, which is why stories like this are so important," before he was accused of mansplaining.

"I doubt very much that the Irish public will go out in their millions to buy their board game," Tom added, before Kevin admitted that the game is not targeted toward the Irish market.

"It’s for the American market. The Americans don’t know the story. They need to know the story."

When it was put to him that there should be a board game surrounding the emancipation of the slaves and a meeting between Daniel O’Connell and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, Kevin added that such a game already existed — while another added defended ‘historical simulator’ games, but chalked up the Famine setting to more paddywhackery than a legitimate educational game.

"I’m open to the idea of them," Brendan, who called in, said.

"There’s a video game called 'This War of Mine', which is about the battle lines in the siege of Sarajevo — it’s a fictional country but simulates what it would be like to live [during the siege] — and it’s a really good anti-war game.

"However, this game is not that. There’s this diddly-eye music in the ad, and then the fakest Irish accent I’ve ever heard explaining the Great Hunger."

Kevin defended the upbeat ad, however, saying that a real Irishman was, in fact, hired.

"The Irish Famine: Scene at the gate of a workhouse." (Via Getty).

"I don’t know a real Irish accent, but that’s a born and bred Irishman speaking those lines," Kevin said, with Brendan adding: "there’s a difference between selling a few leprechaun charms, versus dealing with a disaster that was an imposed genocide essentially, that led to Ireland’s population that still haven’t recovered 200 years later."

As for what would make the game better, a la the aforementioned 'This War of Mine' Brendan suggested: "I understand this is probably a small studio compared to that game, but A, 'This War of Mine' is an allegory of the Siege of Sarajevo. Even though it’s fictional, they still consulted with survivors, engaged with the people who lived through it.

"Obviously, we can’t do that with the Famine, but you can deal with the culture. Engage with Irish people before putting it to market."

The full "Liveline" debate surrounding the game can be found HERE.

* This article was originally published on Extra.ie.