“Vita Vera”

Satirizing capitalism threads a tight needle. The original game of Monopoly itself was supposed to be a fun send-up on making it rich. Was it, really? For “Vita Vera” - a hand-made board game in which Mike self-produced 10 editions in 2009 - the cultural lampooning is taken a step further. Created in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the intent was to capture not only a moment, but the depth of dynamics at play within the economy. Thusly, Christianity and Islam stand in place of Boardwalk and Park Place, the two most valuable properties on the board. Mike designed every facet from scratch, including hand-drawn ink & paper illustrations for the board and cards, and hand-sculpted & cast game pieces depicting a variety of characters involved in this modern-day game of economic chance.