How to do it
Start this as a normal warm-up after a break. Put one chair less than participants. Tell them to get a chair when music stops. You don’t have to explain a lot because everybody knows the game. After the first round we have one loser, keep this person in mind.
Now put some more chairs so that there are at least two chairs more than participants. The participants will be surprised and might find it funny. Tell them again to find a chair when music stops.
For 1st round debriefing you might ask the following questions:
- How did you feel? What was the difference between the two rounds?
- Which round felt more normal?
- Which round did you like better?
- How did the person feel that lost the first game? Was his bad feeling to price for the excitement of the others? What if losing the round meant not to get food for the next two days?
Explain that this simulation tries to represent two different perspectives on the world and on humanity: A world of scarcity where it is necessary and human nature to compete and a world of abundance where the first human instinct is to cooperate and help and enjoy. For the 2nd round of debriefing you can ask these questions using the two parts of the room to let everybody make a statement:
- How is your life structured: more on the scarcity model or abundance? Ask for examples (e.g. school on scarcity of good marks/ money as scarcity tool/ love of parents as example for abundance).
- What do you believe is a stronger human impulse for action: competition or cooperation? (is it human nature to be competetive or is it the structures around us that make us behave this way?)
- How would you like the world to be: more based on competition or more on cooperation? Ask for examples how we could possibly change the rules of the game (e.g. use less money, share things, let people around feel that you care for them etc.)
You might finish that we actually know what values are good to keep relationships (confidence, love, respect). Nevertheless in our economy opposite rules determine the game – meaning that the most competitive win and we admire them. “Is the nature of the world a game with twenty people and 19 hairs? Or have we artificially created this situation? Is this universe a place of fundamental scarcity or of fundamental abundance?”
Inspiration
Ecovisio
Non-governmental organisation and facilitators network from Moldova for sustainable development, Education for Sustainable Development and environmental learning.
Experience
This session can go very deep in feelings. Mind that you have enough time and feel if the group is really ready for this. A morning or an evening might be better than after lunch.
