Designers:: Rocco Bulmer, Phil Dougherty, Britney-Lee Hessel, Mary Maradik, Daniel Schneeberg
The Mifflin Street block party of 2012 is not the same Mifflin that it was in 1969. Mifflin
originated as a political demonstration protesting the Vietnam War (See "History of the Mifflin Street Block Party," by Megan Costello). After 43 years, Mifflin has gained the reputation of being a block party that is infamous for out of control intoxication and danger. In PartyBuster 5000, you are playing from the perspective of a policeman patrolling the Mifflin block party. As a new recruit, you must try to keep the fun tradition of Mifflin alive, but you also must keep the event safe. With different rule options appearing on the opening screen, you must decide if you want to be strict and enforce all the rules. You also have the option of imitating the tactics of the police that patrolled Mifflin in the 1990’s. They washed their hands of Mifflin. While some of the Mifflin block parties of the 90’s were peaceful, there was a violent riot in 1996. Mifflin is a complex celebration. In 2011, a local band venue sponsored Mifflin, increasing attendance. Despite the fact that there was a police presence at the event, two people were stabbed during the Mifflin celebration. As you play through PartyBuster 5000, you will see that controlling Mifflin is not an easy task. If you relax rules, attendance increases and fun increases. However, with lenient rules and a large crowd, violence and danger also increase. On the other hand, you could choose to be a strict officer, ticketing as many attendants as possible, but then the fun tradition of Mifflin is lost. In addition, you will see that there are lots of distractions that pop up while you are trying to patrol the streets, and this makes your job even more difficult. You experience, first hand, why Madison authorities struggle to find a balance between keeping the exuberant tradition of Mifflin alive and keeping the environment of Mifflin safe.
