Student Reflections on the World Peace Game
“To begin with, from playing the game I learned how to strategically think, how to be a leader, the power of communication, and how to make connections to real-world problems. To start, you learn how to strategize. For example, it teaches you how to plan in order for your actions to reach success. It is a game that requires a high level of intelligence now that it is very complex. You should plan action beforehand and strategize with your team in order to be successful. This game definitely turns a part of your brain that isn't frequently used, which is creative intelligence in my point of view. To continue, leadership is also taught during the game. If there is no one in command, then everything falls into chaos, which relates to the real world. If there is no president or high-level authority, a country collapses. I learned how to fortify my leadership skills in a way I hadn't before, which was basically playing a game that seemed like real life situations. From this experience, I personally assimilated that the power of effective communication and solving problems go hand in hand. And lastly, and certainly not the least, is it teaches you how to handle problems and find solutions. This could be applied to real-world problems, and the ability to make these connections is what the game is really trying to do”.
“While playing this game I not only had a great time but gained lots of knowledge that will in the future have a big impact. From being the weather goddess I learned that organization plays a really important part in the way you handle things because you are capable of analyzing things with greater facility. Apart from this, I learned the importance of deep thinking before acting because a simple mistake can cost you a lot, which is why one always needs to analyze and think about the consequences before taking the final decision. I learned better ways to listen to others and negotiate. I also learned to have more patience especially with my fellow teammates, and that my ideas can always be improved with the feedback of others. Finally, I improved my multitasking skills”.
“I learned that managing a country is really hard. It really helped me to improve my skills of problem-solving and thinking under pressure and that I need to plan ahead of my movements so I have a better outcome”.
“I learned how we need to look deeper into every problem we have everyday which will help us for when we get jobs, during university, and in everyday life. It also helped us in multi-tasking and being aware”
“Since my position as World Bank, I learned how to precisely manage expenses and incomes from a country, keeping track of all their money and their investments as well. It was a very tedious task to do all the math, but it was truly worth it because it was a great learning experience and I ended up enjoying it.”
“The World Peace Game by John Hunter is a hands-on political simulation that gives players the opportunity to come up with solutions for a crisis that might occur in real life. During the game, we put into practice our problem-solving skills by coming up with logical solutions for an economic, social, and environmental crisis that occur in our community and our daily lives. I also think that this game specifically helped us to learn how to solve world conflicts because most of the events that occur during the game connect to similar events that currently occur in the world including pandemics, ethnic disputes and problems with unemployment. “
“That making people cooperate is a lot harder than I thought and everyone has to be agreeing to be able to achieve something. I also learned how to find common ground when negotiating and how to save money since we also needed to maintain a positive balance sheet and not give up even when things are going horribly wrong. “
“From the World Peace game, I learned a bunch of things that actually make a connection with the real world and would help me out through all my life and career. In the game, we did things such as making deals with other countries, invest in other countries and in mars, make treaties and alliances with other people and we learned and played in a simulated way in how to make peace in the world. This game was a really important experience for me since I want to be a businessman when I grow up. The game is very good because it teaches us things that will get stuck in our minds forever. It is like the real world but in a board game. This game is very good and kids our age should play it so it gives us a brief understanding to how our life is going to be in a few years.”
“I learned that we face problems in real life that are hard and sometimes not fair. But, I learned that we have to deal with it, advance, solve it, and make the most out of it. With time, problems need to be solved in order to not have chaos or more problems. I learned team collaboration is important because more brains together think more than one. Each one of us has a special ability we should take advantage of and put it into practice with other people. Understanding and having a good attitude towards people also helps with the contribution of solving problems. We are in a world full of conflicts and it takes a whole team (in real life, it will be a whole society) to solve them and make a better world. A change can start with one person and spread to others.”
