When’s the last time you played a card game? Did you notice anything unusual with your card deck? Indy Mellink, from the Netherlands, certainly thought that something was strange. Last summer, the 23-year-old card fan realized that traditional playing cards were, in her opinion, sexist and racist, so she created a new deck of cards that would be fully inclusive by completely removing “gender hierarchy and race differences” altogether.
Indy, spurred on by her supportive dad, founded ‘GSB Playing Cards’ where, instead of Kings, Queens, and Jacks, the cards feature Gold, Silver, and Bronze. She had a lot of time on her hands because of the Covid-19 lockdown, so she put her graphic design skills to use.
“Why should the King have a higher position than the Queen? Why should the King, Queen, and Jack be white? However, rather than complicating the sex and race inequality debate even more, we decided to remove the gender and race factor as a whole and to introduce a common, universally known ranking system. All the other cards in the deck are the same as usual. This card pack was designed with the passion to fight for equality in gender as well as race. Our goal is for everyone to feel comfortable while playing cards,” Indy writes on the GSB website about her mission. Her project received both support and criticism.
More info: GSB-PlayingCards.com | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram
Indy Mellink, from the Netherlands, believes that traditional playing card decks are sexist and racist, so she came up with an alternative
Image credits: Indyozie
The 23-year-old created a gender and race-neutral card deck and founded GSB Playing Cards in October, 2020
Image credits: Indyozie
Instead of Kings, Queens, and Jacks, the deck features Gold bars, Silver coins, and Bronze shield icons
Image credits: Indyozie
Here’s a closer look at the new card designs that Indy crafted
Image credits: gsbplayingcards
All of the other cards remain unchanged
Image credits: Indyozie
She believes the new icons are a better alternative and are more inclusive
Image credits: gsbplayingcards
Indy realized that traditional playing card decks have “subtle” inequality in them over the summer
Image credits: gsbplayingcards
Now, she aims to spread equality by changing how people perceive gender and race hierarchies in playing cards
Image credits: Indyozie
Though there have been critics, Indy believes that their reactions only prove that the card deck issue is bigger than most think
Image credits: Indyozie
She wants everyone to feel comfortable using cards, no matter what their gender, race, or background
Image credits: Indyozie
The orders are exceeding everyone’s expectations and Indy can barely keep up with the demand
Image credits: gsbplayingcards
The Dutch woman has already sent out around 1.5k decks to customers in Europe and the US
Image credits: Indyozie
Check out Indy’s full promo video right here
Image credits: Indyozie
“I was looking for something new; something easy that everyone already knows. Finally, I had a Eureka-moment: gold, silver, and bronze! Everyone already knows those three from sports like the Olympics medals,” she told Cardplayer Lifestyle.
Indy graduated from Erasmus University College in 2018 with a degree in forensic psychology. It was only in the summer of 2020, as she was explaining a card game to her cousins that she started thinking about how regular playing cards could do with an overhaul and a fresh new perspective that would be “neutral” so that everybody would feel “comfortable.” So in October, she launched her playing card site.
For the Dutch woman, equality is a core part of her character: she aims to spread equality as far and wide as she can in the world. Currently, her main way of doing this is through her own brand of playing cards. Or, in her own words, “Play for equality. Game on!”
Indy has already sent out around 1.5k card packs to customers in Belgium, Germany, France, as well as the US. Berit van Dobbenburgh, head of the Dutch Bridge Association, told Reuters that while it’s good to “reflect on gender neutrality,” making a formal switch would be difficult because it would require updating the rules.
The project wasn’t without its critics, though. Among them were well-known personalities like Piers Morgan who expressed his disbelief (though, ironically, the Daily Mail did a proper feature on the GSB cards, too) while the social commentary YouTube channel The Quartering that has 1 million subscribers also wondered why it was necessary to alter the deck.
However, Indy takes the criticism in stride. In her opinion, the fact that people are reacting to her project shows that the issue isn’t small at all. She also feels motivated by all of the attention and thinks that she’s onto something important. What’s more, she told Cardplayer Lifestyle that she pities those with negative reactions and finds them to be “almost pathetic.” Among focusing on her equality deck, Indy is currently pursuing a Ph.D.
What do you think of Indy’s project, dear Pandas? Do you think it’s high time to get rid of Kings, Queens, and Jacks from our decks? Would opting for Gold, Silver, and Bronze be the way to go? Do you think that this is the best way to spread equality? Share your thoughts in the comment section.
Here’s how people reacted to Indy’s project: some people thought her idea was brilliant while others believe that it was a step too far
Image credits: www.facebook.com
Image credits: www.facebook.com
Image credits: www.facebook.com
Image credits: www.facebook.com
Image credits: www.facebook.com
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