A lot of people agree that our current tension in the United States feels palpable; it’s so thick in can be cut with a knife. With US citizens clamoring over the election results, the us vs. them argument is intense. When we investigate the name “United States,” it signifies a federation of different territories that, while each trying to be the best, set aside resources for the common good of the whole country. Nothing like an election underscores how different the individual states (and even counties in states) can be, as well as how US citizens put their faith in the election process trusting that the final result will yield what is best for the whole country.
One of the best ways to teach this dichotomy is through a game. This game uses mechanics based off of the popular experimental economics game called the “Public Goods Game.” In the traditional setting, each team gets an equitable amount of points to hoard or donate to a community pot. The points in the community pot are multiplied and distributed equally among the teams. If a team does not donate to the community pot, they will probably win the round because they still receive the payout from the community pot because of the equal distribution regardless of participation. This highlights by not contributing, they are a drain on the system. If every team contributes all their points every time, the potential points every team would receive is maximized.
The version of the Public Goods Game that we play does not have an initial equitable point distribution because the teams will earn their points through athletic endeavor. States naturally have different sizes, amounts of resources, and populations, and these differences are represented by the different abilities of the students, but that does not inherently guarantee success. The first round is played to get the students acclimated to the game, and then in the next round the community pot is introduced, and each subsequent round the multiplier grows. However, soon into the game a “punishment” feature is introduced, which allows teams to use their points to subtract from other teams, and the punishment gets a multiplier which grows every round as well.
Before the game even starts, the teams are told that the objective of the game is “to get the most points possible.” Teams take cues from each other and are typically as generous as the others. We also see that it only takes one team to start a punishment war where all the teams start using resources to subtract from each other.
The final round is labeled as the most important, and this is where the students will be at their most competitive. Once the students have played, donated or punished, and the scores and the final scores are revealed, the ultimate twist is given to the students. The objective “get the most points possible” was not for the individual team, but for the whole class! The students will be happy they shared points to the community pot, and they will realize the error in their ways by using points (resources) to punish other teams, which could have boosted the total score instead of being wasted taking away from it. The total score represents the country, and the individual scores of the teams represent the states. In this way, we see the natural balance that states must undertake within the nation: be competitive to a point, but be willing to help and contribute to the common good.
The write-up for this game is suitable for in-school social distanced PE class.
Materials:
· A large open space (such as a gym or field)
· Air scoops
· Rubber disc dots
Prior Knowledge: While this can be a perfectly good stand alone game, it works very well with government studies.
Presentation
1. Separate your students into as even teams as possible. I like to use 3 to four teams when possible.
2. The goal of the game is to get as many points as possible. To earn points, the students must successfully catch the ball thrown to them by a teammate. I typically use the gym lines to make equal distances amongst the students, and I put disc dots for the students so they know where to stand. The student is allowed to extend when throwing, but must remain in contact with the dot, while the catcher can completely leave their dot to catch the ball as soon as it is thrown.
3. Once the round is over, the instructor will go to each team to find out how many catches they got. For the first round, that is it. For the next round, the instructor will ask the team how many of those points they would like to donate to the “community pot.”
a. The “community pot” is the donated points from every team. The public pot is multiplied, and then the product is distributed evenly amongst the teams.
b. They tell the instructor how many points they want to donate, but they do not have to donate anything and will still receive points at the end of the round. The instructor subtracts the donated points from the teams total. This is repeated with each team. Then the points in the community pot are multiplied, and then distributed equally amongst the teams. Finally, the instructor will announce to everyone the number of points earned, the number of points donated, and the final score. Make sure not to say that any team won the round! The students may believe that a team won the round, but as the instructor, you can echo that a team earned the most points, but that is not a condition of victory.
4. There is something called a “punishment,” which is introduced about half way through the game. The punishment is points that are used to take away points from another team. These are subject to a multiplier as well in each subsequent round. While teams think they are winning by punishing others, in reality they are taking away from the whole class total.
5. This game should have at least six rounds:
a. Warm/up game
b. Community pot is a 2x multiplier
c. Community pot is a 3x multiplier
d. Community pot is a 4x multiplier and introduce the punishment
e. Community pot is a 5x multiplier and punishment is 2x
f. Community pot is a 5x multiplier and punishment is 3x
6. Now that the whole game is over, have a discussion of the game theory. If you are only watching out for your team, the best way to play is to never contribute, and maybe even punish other teams to retain the lead. However, the goal of the game is for maximum point potential, so if everyone contributes all their points, all teams would reap the maximum benefit. It is time to reveal that winning a round was never the objective of the game; getting the most points as a class was the winning condition of the game. However, it is human nature to want to be better than your neighbor, but there must be a balance between doing well and being generous, which is the same dynamic that every state must contend with.
Aims:
Direct: For the students to understand relationships between states within a government, or even federations or countries and how they interact with each other.
Indirect:
Listening to directions
Teamwork and team building
Communication
Character building
Physical skills practiced:
· Throwing and catching using a hand scoop
Control Of Error:
How many balls are successfully caught in the air determines the amount of points per round. For younger ages, it may be worth letting the students catch the ball off of one bounce.
Points of Interest: The students will be in a dilemma every game on how they choose to share points into the “public good.” The students cannot help but consider the actions of the other teams, and as soon as one team does not contribute, this has a cascading effect. As the multipliers increase and punishments and rewards are added, the teams have new incentives to work together. But the big question is, “Will they?”
Age: All Ages