WEEK 14: CULTURAL SIMULATION #4
Cultural
Simulation Game #4

Week #14

Britannus(shocked): Caesar, this is not proper.
Theodotus(outraged): How?
Caesar(recovering his self-possession): Pardon him Theodotus; he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature.

--Caesar and Cleopatra, Act II George Bernard Shaw

THE PREMISE

A certain culture has a long tradition that it is descended from a superior culture from which it was, long ago, separated.

Recently, a new culture was discovered, and a meeting has been agreed between a representative of the Alfa culture and a representative from the new culture. The purpose of this meeting is to agree upon a method by which the old culture may learn the customs of the New Comers.

DISCUSSION:

AFTER THE ACTUAL SIMULATION, the two cultural groups will sit apart from each other. The purpose of the discussion is to help cast members generalize about the experience they have had in the game to the real world. Depending upon time, here are some questions that I might ask:

  1. Explain as best you can the New Comer culture?

  2. Explain as best as you can your culture?

  3. How did the New Comer visitors appear to you?

  4. Describe your New Comer feelings and thoughts when you visited the culture.

  5. Explain your culture.

  6. Given what you know now, which culture would you prefer to live and why?

  7. What can be learned from playing the game?

  8. What specific real-life situation does this simulation suggest? What does this simulation suggest about what to do when you are in a similar situation in the real world? What are the underlying causes of the problems or difficulties?

  9. What does this simulation suggest about what to do when you are in a similar situation in the real world?

  10. Think about how you felt during the simulation experience. Try completing the following phrase, ÑI feel _____ because _____. Can you draw a meaningful comparison between your feelings, and those of the character you are playing?

  11. What did you do during the game which Ñworkedæ for you?

KEY QUESTIONS:

  1. In your opinion, did your culture derive from the New Comers' culture? Which one is the lost culture? Which is the new culture? Explain why you think this. And why on earth does knowing this have anything to do with Naga-Manda, The Golden Age, and The Ik?

  2. Within each of the cultures, the suppressed minority has a lever for gaining power. Explain how this worked and how it relates to the play.

  3. Were there seeds of destruction in one (or both) of the cultures? Explain.

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