A Very Different Kind Of Strategy Game
Most board games reward players for finding the fastest, smartest route to victory. But one upcoming tabletop project does something unusual - it actively pressures players into making bad decisions.
At first, everything seems simple enough. Complete assignments, work efficiently, and stay ahead of everyone else at the table. The problem is that the easiest path forward comes with consequences that may not become obvious until it’s already too late.
That idea sits at the centre of Feed the Machine, a new board game designed by researchers at Concordia University to explore the growing ethical concerns surrounding artificial intelligence in the workplace.
Winning Comes At A Cost
In Feed the Machine, players take on the role of media interns attempting to produce articles and earn points before their rivals do. Longer and more detailed work earns bigger rewards, but it also takes more time to complete.
That’s where AI tools enter the equation.
Players can choose to rely on artificial intelligence to speed up their workload, allowing them to progress faster than everyone else around the table. But every shortcut comes with risks attached. Using AI forces players to draw consequence cards that introduce problems like misinformation, hallucinations, or other unintended outcomes.
Meanwhile, players who take the slower, more ethical route may find themselves falling behind.
The Pressure Starts To Build
According to the researchers behind the project, that growing tension is exactly the point.
Rather than simply telling players whether AI is good or bad, the game is designed to recreate the kinds of pressures many workers already experience in real life. Watching competitors move ahead faster creates a constant temptation to abandon careful decision-making in favour of efficiency.
And eventually, many players stop questioning those choices altogether.
The researchers say this moment often becomes one of the most revealing parts of the experience, because players begin prioritising productivity over ethics without even realising they’ve done it.
The Twist Changes Everything
Feed the Machine also includes a late-game reveal designed to reframe the entire experience.
By the end of the session, players discover that the work they’ve been producing throughout the game has secretly been used to train an AI system. Suddenly, decisions that once felt small become part of a much larger conversation about responsibility, automation, and unintended consequences.
More Than Just A Research Project
Originally created as part of a research initiative, Feed the Machine has already attracted attention from educators and organisations interested in AI literacy training.
The game was funded through Canadian research programmes focused on the societal impacts of artificial intelligence and digital technology, and the team plans to release both English and French editions in the near future.
Printable versions are also planned, allowing schools and organisations to run sessions without needing specialised equipment.
A Growing Trend In Board Games
Feed the Machine is also part of a wider movement toward using tabletop games to explore difficult real-world topics.
Instead of teaching AI ethics through lectures or technical explanations, the project uses competition and social pressure to make players feel the consequences of their decisions first-hand. That hands-on approach could prove especially relevant as AI tools become increasingly common across schools, workplaces, and creative industries.
The researchers behind the project believe games create a rare opportunity for people to pause, reflect, and experiment with difficult decisions in a low-risk environment.
And in this case, the biggest danger in the game may not be losing.
It’s how easy it becomes to stop caring about the consequences altogether.
