This is a simple game to illustrate a theoretical concept. Thanks to Victor Asal (Rockefeller College, University at Albany).
Objective
This demonstrates the concept of a state of nature, humans’ tendency towards competitive behaviour and the value of cooperative action. However, given the nature of the exercise, do not reveal the objective until after you have played it.
How to Play
The game can be played with any number of students.
Each student is given a playing card and told to stand up. They should be able to move around.
Students are given the following instructions verbatim:
“The aim of this game is to survive. Now you are going to play rock-paper-scissors [explain rules if necessary]: the winner gets all the loser’s cards, the loser sits down and cannot play any more: a draw must be replayed. You do not have to challenge someone to play rock-paper-scissors, but you must accept a challenge to play.”
Students then play. You should wait until a stable outcome is reached, before feeding back.
Feedback Points
Typically, most students will pay rock-paper-scissors, despite the objective being to survive. The key question here is why anyone would play at all. Asking students for feedback on why opens up space for a discussion on human nature and competition. If you are lucky enough to have some students who don’t play, then ask them to explain why.
Variations