To portray the territorial disputes in the South China Sea, or the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), we wanted to show the physical and metaphorical manipulation of the islands in this area. As you look through the opening, China’s presence is glaring and obvious, representing her aggressive and imposing role in this dispute. The diorama unfolds, and as it does so reveals the other countries involved in the South China Sea conflict. These countries are China’s opponents both in real life and in this playable game.

The sea is raised above the borders of the countries, opposite of reality, to make clear the constraints of the playable board and to show that here, in our snapshot of this area, the sea plays an enormous role in the politics of the neighboring countries. After playing it a few times, it becomes clear that the game is rigged in China’s favor, just as on the real map, China has power over the smaller countries fighting for what they believe is ‘their’ land. While our diorama represents a playful, distilled version of the events occurring in the South China Sea, the ongoing conflict is serious, and we hope our diorama and game encourage to think critically about the imbalance of power at play.