Project Description

This game serves as a simulation that helps students learn about some of the complexities involved in decision-making at the international level.

Teaching Strategy

The class is broken into different groups, which are then each assigned to a country, where each country has its own advantage(s) and disadvantage(s).  Before the game begins, each group determines their country’s goal with respect to: meeting the needs of their populace, amassing wealth, and the amount of goods produced and stockpiled.

During each round of gameplay, players negotiate the trading of goods and loans, balancing the interests of their own country against those of other countries, while trying to fulfil their own goal. Each round also includes a “shock event”, in which one or more countries gain a sudden advantage or disadvantage, which challenges players to respond with an appropriate strategy.

The game comes to a close at the end of the third round, and a debrief follows in which students state the goal they pursued and reflect on their choices in light of the strategy they had adopted.

For access to the project, please contact CTE at cte [at] smu.edu.sg