Introducing: One Billion Users, The Social Media Card Game

We’re excited to announce the launch of the crowdfunding campaign for our new card game: One Billion Users. In this fast-paced and entertaining card game, you take on the role of a social media mogul competing to build the most successful social network. We’ve spent much of this year designing, testing, and refining the game and it’s almost ready to hit the presses — so now we need your help. If you want to try your hand at running a social media network, please back our Kickstarter campaign and secure your copy of One Billion Users.

In One Billion Users, your goal is simple: gain users and attract influencers to grow your platform. But watch out: other players will try to slow you down by playing cards that create obstacles in your path. And you’ll have to be careful about the communities you attract — the toxicity they bring could hurt your platform in the long run.

This game is a follow-up to CIA: Collect It All, which we successfully Kickstarted a few years back. That game was based on public domain material created by the US government to train CIA analysts about the surveillance tools at their disposal. One Billion Users is also based on a public domain game: 1906’s Touring from William Janson Roche, which was a card game involving racing cars to see who could get the furthest distance, while overcoming obstacles placed by opposing players. It’s widely considered the first card game using the “Take That” game mechanic.

In the 1950s, a game based on Touring, called Mille Bornes, briefly became the best-selling game in the US. If you’ve played Mille Bornes or Touring, the basics of One Billion Users will be familiar to you, but we’ve introduced many updates to modernize the game and to make it fit with the social media theme.

In One Billion Users, you’re trying to build up your userbase rather than chasing miles on the road. But all users are not equal: they bring different levels of toxicity with them, and that toxicity can overwhelm your network and limit your opportunities to grow or find advertisers. Other players can try to stop you with various blockers like overloading your servers or causing you to be low on funds.

We’ve also added a new twist: the concept of influencers who want to join particular networks. During the game, there are opportunities to steal influencers (and their legions of followers) away from other networks, but that means they can be stolen from you as well.

On top of that, a variety of events can occur throughout the game that can impact all players. Some events, like a tech bubble that blocks bad press, can be helpful. But others, like regulations that limit how much toxicity you can play, can seriously limit your growth options and force you to rethink your strategy.

One Billion Users delivers whether you’re a social media aficionado, a tabletop gaming enthusiast, or just looking for a fun new game to enjoy with friends and family. It’s designed to be not only entertaining and engaging, but also highly replayable, ensuring hours of enjoyment.

Also, backing this project will help support Techdirt and our reporting. So, rather than just joining yet another premium tier for a news website, you’ll be getting a fun game you can play for years to come!