CO-OP QUEST

Curriculum: Elective Seminar called “From Public Engagement to Collective Power”
Date: Fall 2024 
Professor: Janette Komoda Kim
Student Authors: Xavier Bermudez, Shane Chavez, Kira Finigan, Finn Ghinn, Amanda Gomez, Clarice Gaw Gonzalo, Eason Jiang, Layla Namak, Alex Riedel, Maitri Vipul Rudani, Chupeng Ruan, Salwa Shafiq, Ian Taylor, and Jasmine Wada

Co-Op Quest is an interactive board game that introduces players to the joys and challenges of cooperative living. Players role-play various characters in a housing cooperative and resolve scenarios that might emerge in the life of a housing co-op. The game invites players to empathize with different perspectives from their own, build skills for community problem-solving, and work towards a collective win. We invite everyone interested in collective ownership to play. Co-Op Quest promotes teamwork, trust-building, and community organizing—all in a fun, engaging way that can empower current and future co-op owners.

Partners: We designed this game for the non-profit SOMOS Mayfair, a non-profit in East San Jose that builds community power in East San José through leadership development and by organizing around resident-led solutions. SOMOS is using the game to build excitement and capacity for self-governance in a Limited Equity Housing Cooperative they are creating.

How to Play: The objective of this game is to build a mural that reflects the collective spirit of the players’ housing cooperative. The mural connects all spaces in the co-op and will be complete once it makes a full circle. S

How do Players accomplish this goal? Every time players resolve a scenario, they contribute Resources to the Board, for example, by adding a Build, Care, or Manage Token. These Tokens are added to the Place where that scenario took place, such as an apartment or the communal kitchen. Then, just like a cooperative’s resources contribute to its own success, the Resource Tokens will hold up pieces of the Mural and allow players to complete the full circle.

Authors: This game was designed by Xavier Bermudez, Shane Chavez, Kira Finigan, Finn Ghinn, Amanda Gomez, Clarice Gaw Gonzalo, Eason Jiang, Janette Komoda Kim, Layla Namak, Alex Riedel, Maitri Vipul Rudani, Chupeng Ruan, Salwa Shafiq, Ian Taylor, and Jasmine Wada in a seminar taught by Janette Komoda Kim at California College of the Arts, Architecture Division. Special thanks to Oscar Quiroz-Medrano, Citlali Martinez, Saul Ramos, Victor Vasquez, and all at SOMOS Mayfair who have inspired and informed this project.

Want to Play? We are happy to share this game with anyone who wants to play it, and can send you a print-on-demand set. Please contact us janettekim at cca.edu. This game is probably best for ages 13 and up, and 6-8 players per game.