I came across a new Kickstarter project yesterday titled: Funeral Director…A Race to Your Final Resting Place. Naturally this piqued my interest.
The idea is a new board game that (in the inventors words): “Users play an outrageous off-beat board game, toy with a taboo subject. An enlightening experience and a real eye opener. Educational & FUN.”
This doesn’t tell you much about the game so I have included below a piece of the game description from the Kickstarter project page:
HOW THE GAME IS PLAYED Having died of Laughter, Boredom, Fright or a Broken Heart, etc., you now serve as your own Funeral Director. While piecing together your customized sendoff, you begin to explore different products and services available – this might ignite new thoughts and feelings about the funeral process. Players (best with four) move around the game board with their coffin markers, responding to Life, Debt and Last Will and Testament cards, while purchasing various Funeral Products (flowers, caskets, headstones, etc.) and Funeral Services (cosmetic care, cremation, transportation, etc.). Expect lots of nervous laughter as players reveal interesting stories, discuss personal “bucket list” dreams, etc. as they race to their chosen Final Resting Place (e.g. Eco Green Meadows, Family Farm, Sea Burial, etc.). The game encourages interaction among players, as everyone talks about personal funeral experiences, which are sometimes sad but often eye opening or humorous. Discussing embalming, environmental impact of cremations, land use, green burials, etc. and funeral costs will certainly raise the hair on anyone’s back! This board game offers a simple but realistic picture of the funeral process, the funeral industry itself, and alternatives to the traditional system. And yet, it keeps the subject lighthearted non-threatening and yes…fun!
From the description I personally believe this would be a great intro to an end -of-life discussion with a loved one, but I am just not sold on the idea that it is going to be one of those everyday party games! I also don’t know if the board game inventor has any background in the profession or has ever planned an “end of life event or funeral”.
This isn’t the first funeral related project that has appeared on Kickstarter, back in January Funeral Divas CEO, Muneerah Warner pitched a female funeral director dating showing. I did back the project but it failed to meet its funding goal.
The board game described above is seeking $11,000 to fund the project. The deadline to raise the pledges is August 26th. Below is a video from the inventor describing the board game and giving a bio of himself.
I would love to get your feedback on a game of this type. Do you think there is a market for it? If you decide to back it please let us know!!
Two thoughts: One, I will not be financially backing this project, and two, I shudder to think that Mitford’s “book” is still viewed as relevant.
I think that funeral directors should reach out to this guy and give him some honest feedback so that the information he is providing via this game is not concocted from Mitford’s book. He needs to see the business through the eyes of a professional in the death care industry so that he has the opportunity to see the business from another perspective. It sounds like he’s going to move forward with the idea of this game. Taking a proactive stance on such activities is a better position than sitting back and waiting to see what he comes up with on his own.
As a home funeral educator, I am in favor of anything that gets people talking about death and communication their final wishes. Most people don’t know they can care for their dead at home, if only for a few hours or for several days, with or without a funeral director (except in a few states). I hope that home and family-directed funerals as well as green burial options are included in the game. I would buy one for our organization as an educational tool if it truely gives all the options. http://www.thresholdcarecircle.org
I am a Death Midwife, and also in favour of things that get families talking about death. Like Charlene, I would want players to know that caring for your own dead at home is a viable option. Therefore, I would want to see home funerals (post-death care at home) included as an option; and for it to be a cooperative game (ex. building a community of people, who know your wishes, and are prepared to follow them — with the option of post-death care at home). I think I would find it hard to recommend this game if it was competitive and didn’t offer all of the options — despite its value in getting families to talk about their wishes around death.
To Indianapolis area funeral homes:
MCC Solutions provides professional housekeeping services to help keep your funeral home looking its best! http://www.mccsolutions.weebly.com. 317.987.5755