Game Itinerary
Some assembly required
1-2 days prior to game day, 3-9 boxes and cases will arrive at the venue location. Depending on the time of the event, an o.s.Earth facilitator will either arrive the afternoon before or the morning of the workshop to set-up the game.
Facilitator and host work together
The workshop is designed as a stand-alone experience, but interested teachers and hosts are encouraged to take a more active role. o.s.Earth workshop coordinators and facilitators will work with the host to incorporate specific themes, arrange a more directed discussion or integrate teachers, colleagues and hosts into game play.
Hands on
Participants plunge in quickly. An easy-to-use design allows players to develop strategy and sophistication at their own level; grade school students can grasp the essentials and adult professionals can take advantage of the game's subtleties. No matter what the style of play, the room is transformed by energetic negotiation and planning.
Game structure
The game simulates the next 30 years of global economic development. Players represent geopolitical regions (for example, Sub-Saharan Africa, North America, South East Asia), multinational conglomerates of corporations (fictitious names) and global human interest organizations (health, education, human rights and environment) dedicated to spreading solutions.
Teams trade resources, both concrete and abstract: wealth, technology, solutions, infrastructure, natural resources and more. Players try to "win the game" by raising their wealth with the facilitator and multimedia support to help translate game actions into real-world terms. By the end of the workshop, these simple game pieces come to represent millions of people and billions of dollars; the simple act of "winning" gives way to an enhanced understanding of global interdependence.
Develop a strategy
The GSW does not teach values; it allows players to experience the results of their own actions. Governments who sell their resources cheaply for quick development may come to regret it; Corporations who charge inflated prices might find their customers at the competition's door. Organizations too generous with their solutions might become unsustainable as the complexity of challenges ramps up.
Did we win?
The workshop ends with scoring, analysis and discussion. Total wealth and growth are measured, but News Reports and the facilitator's insight help players understand the real-world meaning of their actions. Students know what they have done and are eager to discuss their game play. The Workshop leaves students with a new understanding of the global economic system and how it affects them and others around the world.
