«Why should a king be worth more than a queen?» was the question that got Indy Mellink thinking and the reason why she decided to replace the classic figures, as well as the Jack, with gold, silver and bronze.
With each passing day, more changes are being made in different areas of everyday life to promote greater gender equality. For example, today toys are no longer labeled as being exclusively for boys or girls, and people can wear whatever they want and do things that weren’t thought to for their gender.
Everything is changing, and it’s even happening in adult games. Indy Mellink, a 23-year-old Dutch psychologist who enjoys poker, noticed a sexist detail that went un
While explaining to her cousin how to play these cards, she asked «why should a king be worth more than a queen?», and this query left her thinking seriously and gave her the idea to change this reality. She created a genderless version of poker, in other words, a stack without a king and queen.
Reuters
“If we have this hierarchy that the king is worth more than the queen then this subtle inequality influences people in their daily life because it’s just another way of saying ‘hey, you’re less important”. Even subtle inequalities like this do play a big role,” Indy explained to Reuters.
So she designed these new cards with gold bars, silver coins, and a bronze shield to replace the king, queen and the Jack. She launched the product for sale online, calling them GSB Cards (Gold, Silver and Bronze).
So far, she’s done well with her business, since people from Belgium, Germany, France, and the United States have bought her product. Even game stores have been interested, as she assured Reuters.
Instagram: @gsbplayingcards
The psychologist said that many people have tried this new way of playing and confessed that they’d never questioned the issue. They said that, even though it would take some time to get used to, they’d do it.
The director of the Dutch Bridge Association, Berit van Dobbenburgh reflected on this new modality and showed his support for the cause, applauding Indy’s great idea. «I wonder if it’s worth it. But gender neutrality, I’m all for it! It’s great that someone of this age has noticed this. It’s the new generation,» he commented to Reuters.
Instagram: @gsbplayingcards
Surely there are more games or activities where details like these also go unnoticed, and someone will probably follow in Indy’s footsteps soon.