"Shanghai,""Dialect,""Sound," and "Tone of Voice": The Board Games Series

About the Research:

This project devises board games to illustrate the evolution of the Shanghai dialect by introducing various dialects that have profoundly impacted its formation after the city opened its ports, represented as game pieces that can be placed on the map. Players raise their prestige in the region by increasing their influence, attracting immigrants, and establishing guildhalls. The interplay of factions and their vernaculars will, in turn, shape the dialect map of Shanghai. By the end of each game, all players will have co-created a possible variant of the Shanghai dialect in an alternative timeline.

About the Lecture: 

This lecture will introduce the audience to "Tone of Voice," a board game that simulates the spread and integration of dialects in Shanghai. The presenter will share his thoughts behind the game design and how dialects and the mechanisms are connected. Another single-player game about acoustic phenomena, based on the insights gained from months of engagement with "Wen Zhi Hui," will also meet the audience. Both games will be available to try out on-site, and gameplay data will be recorded for research purposes. Audiences are encouraged to try and replicate the process of actual dialect dissemination by following the game rules.