I unironically think that PDX games helped radicalized me. Part of liberal politics is divorcing politics from power. Thinking about things in terms of people, values, faith, anything besides material analysis is part of its foundation.

PDX games were my first exposure to "thinking like a politician." I realized that IRL politicians were looking at politics the way I looked at grand strategy, because the incentives were the same. Money, status, power, glory.

Part of being good at those games is literally applying material analysis to political situations. I think that helped me once I was finally ready to accept socialist ideas.