Cards for Humanity

A Portland-Made Card Game Reveals Just How Well You Know Your Friends

Ami Baio's game is basically cards for humanity.

By Emma Mannheimer May 22, 2018 Published in the June 2018 issue of Portland Monthly

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Some people seem to share nearly every aspect of themselves online. But do we really know them? Portland game designer Ami Baio offers deeper insight with her new card game. An analog counterpoint to the superficiality of online sharing, and inspired by Baio’s love of stories, You Think You Know Me features 500 cards encouraging in-person conversations, from silly to cerebral. A card might demand knowledge of another player’s preference for tacos over sushi, their first celebrity crush, or whether it’s easy or hard for them to say they’re sorry. More abstract cards ask players to fill in the blank: “I know you think time is ____.” (Baio’s personal answer? A villain.)

After developing an initial prototype last July, Baio launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund production and raised around $28,000, nearly double her goal. The candy-colored deck ($30) has hit the shelves of local retailers, including Powell’s—a win, she says, for her fellow female tabletop game designers, a field where women are underrepresented.

And the game itself is a win for players, claims Baio: “To feel seen, heard, and focused on is really valuable for our mental health and our heart health.”

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