REFUGEOLY GAME
Play as a refugee as you try and navigate your way to safety.
Using testimonies from refugees and NGO volunteers in camps across Greece, Turkey, Spain, and France, we developed a game inspired by the classic Monopoly. Refugeoly illustrates the harsh realities faced by thousands fleeing conflict and hardship. The game’s primary goal is to shed light on the struggles of being forced into refuge. By playing, you’ll experience firsthand the complexity, drama, and hardship of life for those simply trying to escape war and scarcity. Refugeoly is designed to raise awareness about the challenges refugees face at Europe’s borders.
Large Format REFUGEOLY workshops
We also organise Refugeoly workshops using a printable large-format Refugeoly game. These workshops are aimed at organisations, schools, NGOs, etc. that might be interested in experiencing and learning more about the refugee situation.
In these workshops, the players embody the refugee in the game. Carrying the money and trying to make their way to a country of asylum. This format enables the players to interact with each other and makes them feel that the whole game experience is about luck.
Our workshops have been running at the Royal College of Art (London), Goldsmiths University (London), Blackbox Theatre (Oslo), Hirikilabs Tabakalera (San Sebastian), La Casa Encendida (Madrid), Tijuana Design Week (Mexico), Galeria Baluarte San Roque (Cadiz), Palacio Provincial Diputacion De Cadiz (Cadiz).
To book a Presentation and play Refugeoly or a Workshop, email us at: vinnymontag@gmail.com
Collaborators: John Halls, Tabakalera San Sebastian (Hirikilabs), Alai Ondo Design Studio, Jose Luis and Alba Regojo.
Special Thanks: Rathna Ramanathan (Royal College of Art), Ibai Zabaleta and Gonzalo Hohr.
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Watch this video to learn how Refugeoly was designed and why
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Vicente Esteban (Vinny Montag)
Associate Professor at Xian Jiantong-Liverpool University in Suzhou Industrial
Design Department (China).
Affiliations: Goldsmiths University of London / Royal College of Art (London, UK).
Links
https://vinnymontag.academia.edu/
http://vinnymontag.blogspot.com/
BIO
Vicente Esteban is the Program Director and Associate Professor in the Industrial Design Department at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University in Suzhou, China. Originally from Cádiz, Spain, Vicente has a foundational background in mechanics and applied arts. His formal studies include a Master’s in Information Experience Design from the Royal College of Art, funded by the BURBERRY scholarship, and a Bachelor’s degree in Multidisciplinary Design from Goldsmiths, University of London.
With extensive experience across industry and academia, Vicente has collaborated with major companies such as Worldpay, Burberry, Statoil, AGA, and Linde Engineering, and has contributed to prominent art and design institutions, including the Barbican, Sustrans, Furtherfield Gallery, and Zadok Studio. In London, he taught in the Design Department at Goldsmiths and at the London College of Fashion (UAL), covering a broad range of design and innovation topics.
As a Practice-Based Designer, Vicente emphasizes making and materiality, integrating hand-crafted prototypes with machine manufacturing. His recent work focuses on Sustainable Design Practice and Social Innovation Design, tackling issues like sanitation and deforestation. His teaching areas include Visual Communication, Design Experience, and Futurism / Speculative Design, fostering hands-on learning to inspire innovative approaches in design.
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Supporters & Collaborators
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Support Refugeoly
You donations will help spreading the word about the refugee crisis.
With your support Refugeoly aims to become also a Digital Game that can be played online. Thanks for supporting us!
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