Rebecca Power is the co-founder of Hoax, an interactive design studio. Hoax's flagship product is The Racket, a noir-inspired, immersive cocktail party game which can be played by groups of 15 to 250 people.
Rebecca takes us through how she and her co-founder Justin crafted the identity-bending and empowering game that is The Racket. She also shares observations from running The Racket over 400 times -- the surprising types of people who usually win the game, and what social status dynamics emerge out of each playgroup. And if Rebecca is herself both designer and the host - the woman in the red dress - of each game, how has the The Racket changed who she is?
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Substack: https://gameoflifepod.substack.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophdeng
Email: golifepod@gmail.com
"Game of Life Podcast" is produced by Sophia Deng; visuals by Alonzo Felix; music is from Anchor.
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Timestamps
(04:26) The Racket's origin story and starting Hoax
(13:34) Design philosophy of The Racket
(24:46) Observations about social status and social dynamics from The Racket
(40:30) Impact of the game on Rebecca's personal identity - perception, success, feminism
(59:59) 2 final questions
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Rebecca's recommendations
Race for the Galaxy (board game)
Hearts (card game)
Brick (film)
Noir: A Novel (book)
Finite and Infinite Games (book)
