Fvck Capitalism Sorta Manifesto and Resource Page
A downloadable document
Last year, I was very excited to see this jam and wanted to join, but I was so exhausted from work and personal responsibilities that I didn’t create anything.
This year, I faced medical issues and had a lot of work that has left me just exhausted and feel that my creative energy has just been zapped.
I still tried to push and create something. I was determined that I was going to make a ttrpg, but I kept coming to writer’s block, or inspiration would spark and fizzle out.
So I wrote a little sorta manifesto on my thoughts and feelings on my experience and current state of capitalism. I also added a short, but hopefully working list of various jams, games, and resources that have inspired my journey as a creator, player, and role in creating a better world.
You can download to read the whole manifesto or scroll down to read. I will also add the list first in case you don't want to do either and would rather see the resources!
Cover Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Written and reflection for the the Fuck Capitalism Jam 2024
Resources:
Note: Some of these games I have played, some I have read the rules (yes, I like to read ttrpgs for fun), or only read the description of and has made me do a double-take.
Jams:
Applied Hope: The Solarpunk & Utopias Jam
Physical Games
https://w.itch.io/tavern-at-the-end
What’s So Cool About Solar Punk
The Magical Year of a Teenage Witch
Six Spells To Help You With Your Curse
SRDs
https://unseeliejess.itch.io/the-buddy-system
Tools
My thoughts:
Last year, I was very excited to see this jam and wanted to join, but I was so exhausted from work and personal responsibilities that I didn’t create anything.
This year, I faced medical issues and had a lot of work that has left me just exhausted and feel that my creative energy has just been zapped.
I still tried to push and create something. I was determined that I was going to make a ttrpg like I had done in the past, but no spark of inspiration came to me. So then I thought, maybe using an already existing SRD would spark inspiration. It half did, but I kept coming to writer’s block, or inspiration would spark and fizzle out.
I was disappointed and frustrated. Capitalism has taken the one joy away from me: creativity. I have an intrinsic need to be creative and I get immense joy from creating. Being in the current state that I am where I feel that I don’t have the energy to be creative due to working so much, getting less sleep than I need, giving my energy at work for little in return, feeling that I have no extra time for myself that I am limited in what I can do during my freetime, has left me feeling less than myself. And this feeling of being less than myself, of feeling exhausted, of feeling incomplete, of not having joy, that is a symptom of capitalism.
There are plenty of articles that will say that the solution to this is managing your stress. All I have to do is do some breathing and maybe do some yoga. These articles will say that I need to be more in the present and choose to not be stressed. To that I say, “No.” Very firmly.
When the self-care movement came out and began to gain momentum, I was very excited and I loved it! I still do. I strongly believe in the power of self-care and self-care being revolutionary. What I say no to is how this movement got co-opted by the very thing that the self-care movement was against: capitalism.
I am now seeing a lot of places that have taken the rhetoric from the self-care movement as a way to blame people for the stress they are feeling rather than as an examination of the social conditions.
“Are you stressed? Self-care. Breathe.”
“Work overwhelming? That must be because you need to learn to self-care. YOU need to manage your stress. Breathe.”
“Oh, you say that you are working in a job that doesn’t value you? That they have you working the job of three people? Wait, that you are working three jobs to make ends meet? That inflation has you stressing over financials? That your manager/boss micromanages and mistreats you? That your supervisors don’t respect your boundaries? That the racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, nationalism, at work is wearing you down? You just need to manage your stress.”
NO! First, capitalism needs to take its grubby hands and remove them from the self-care movement! No more BLAMING the worker and individual people for systemic issues created by capitalism.
For anyone out there that is stressed, tired, and overwhelmed with the demands placed on us, please know that it is not you, it’s the system.
Ttrpgs have been a way that I have been able to find some healing, solace, friends, and a place to meditate and create. Sadly, the Jam is almost over and I still don’t have anything that I have created. I guess I created this manifesto of sorts. I still don’t have enough energy to fuel a spark of inspiration at the moment, but I do hope that I left you something to think about. Hopefully I will be able to make something soon to add to this list and experience.
I will also leave you with a list of other games, zines, and SRDs that have inspired me to think differently about relationships, the economy, and how we relate to ourselves. One day I hope to be able to come back to this and explain why I put these games on here.
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Disclaimer: I am not a mental or physical health expert. These games are meant to be fun and reflective. Should you need any immediate mental health support, you can check this site for hotlines available globally.
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This document was written on unceded ancestral lands
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This document adheres to the Olivia Hill Rule:
If you're a fascist, you're not welcome to play this game. It's against the rules. If you're reading this and thinking, "You just call everyone you disagree with a fascist," then you're probably a fascist, or incapable of drawing inferences from context and acknowledging a dangerous political climate that causes the oppressed to be hyperbolic. Don't play this game. Heal yourself. Grow. Learn. Watch some Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood or something.
No fascists, sexists, homophobes, transphobes, or other forms of bigot are allowed to play or use this game in any way.
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You are not alone! ✊🏻
Well said and well done. We have every right to feel tired and angry considering that even movements such as the self-care one are absorbed as a tool to keep being productive. I really hope that you can find the space to create again and for it to bring you joy.