How ______ Are You?
Katherine Cheng
Being Asian American embraces both cultures and merges them together into one identity. This identity is not as well known or acknowledged in American society, creating an experience of inferiority and exclusion in many Asian Americans. The lack of knowledge and representation of Asian Americans in mainstream culture exacerbates these struggles of self identify in the Asian American community, creating a divide between both cultures.
How Are You? aims to break this divide by raising awareness and gaining knowledge of the differences and similarities in both cultures through play. As the majority, White Americans can be ignorant of the minority experience. Asian Americans can focus on the disadvantage of their lives and ignore the positive impacts of being influenced. How Are You? helps people of all races understand each other by seeing similarities and differences of both cultures.
While playing, players answer questions together as a group to find out how influenced they are by both Asian and American cultures. Players answer from four categories, and depending on the answers the board game reveals how these cultures influence each other through game play. We live in a large melting pot in America where every culture is exposed and influences each other, often unnoticed. By the end of the game, stories and memories are shared to build empathy and bring people together. Players become aware of each other’s experience in the world. Through stories and memories, players show how each culture impacts and contributes to the multi-cultural American society today.