Designers / Publisher / Year: Max Hui Bai Ph.D. / Self / 2025
Player Count / Playtime: 3-6 Players / 40 mins
Genre / Type / Mechanics: Card Game, Party Game, Set Collection, Academics, Humor
Expansions: The Publish or Perish Game: Expansion 1 – The Revenge of Reviewer 2 (2025), The Publish or Perish Game: Expansion 2 – Academic Sh*tpost (2025), The Publish or Perish Game: Expansion 3 – Midterm Grading Extravaganza (2025)
I backed Publish or Perish on Kickstarter, and from the moment I opened the box, I knew exactly who this game was made for. This is a niche game for a niche audience, and that’s perfectly okay.
The goal is to build your academic career by publishing papers, securing grants, surviving reviewer comments, and navigating the many frustrations of academia. If you’ve ever written an NIH grant, waited months for reviews, or experienced the joys of Reviewer #2, you’ll immediately understand the jokes. The cards are filled with references that hit a little too close to home, and that’s exactly what makes the game so entertaining.
For someone outside of academia, a lot of the humor will probably fall flat. But if you’re an academic like me, especially if you work in research related to medicine, this game is hilarious. I’ve found it’s at its best when you’re playing with your lab mates or fellow researchers over a few beers during a lab happy hour. Everyone has their own stories about grant deadlines, rejected manuscripts, and impossible reviewer requests, and the game captures that experience surprisingly well.
Mechanically, the game is straightforward and easy to learn, so the focus stays on the theme and the conversations it creates. It’s less about deep strategy and more about sharing laughs over the absurdities of academic life with your professional coworkers.
Verdict: Publish or Perish won’t appeal to everyone, nor is it trying to. But if you’ve survived grant writing, paper submissions, and the NIH review process, this game feels like it was made for you. It’s a fun, tongue-in-cheek celebration of academic life and an easy recommendation for research groups looking for something to bring to their next lab happy hour.
Reviewed on 07/07/2026
Score Breakdown
| Category | Description | Score (1–10) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Aesthetics & Components | Visual design, artwork, tactile quality, and overall presentation. | 7 |
| 2. Rules Clarity & Accessibility | Ease of learning, clarity of rulebook, setup time, and iconography. | 7 |
| 3. Strategic Depth | Amount of meaningful decision-making and long-term planning. | 6 |
| 4. Luck vs. Skill Balance | How fairly chance and skill coexist. | 6 |
| 5. Player Interaction | Engagement and social dynamics between players. | 8 |
| 6. Pacing & Downtime | Flow, engagement, and smoothness of play. | 8 |
| 7. Replayability | Longevity, variability, and continued appeal. | 6 |
| 8. Theme Integration | How well the mechanics and story fit the theme. | 10 |
| 9. Enjoyment & Emotional Impact | Pure fun factor—excitement, tension, satisfaction. | 7.5 |
| 10. Innovation & Uniqueness | Creativity, originality, and distinctiveness from other games. | 6 |
| Overall Mean Score | 7.15 / 10 | |