The Game of Education: Virtual Play

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Facilitator Role

• The facilitator (who does not actively play a role in the scenario) welcomes everyone on Zoom.
• They share their screen and navigate to The Game of Education’s Virtual Game webpage.
• They enter the number of players (2–8) and click Randomize Roles & Agendas.

Link Generation

• Once randomized, a unique link is generated for each player’s secret Role and Agenda.
• The facilitator shares each link privately with the respective player (e.g., via Zoom chat or direct message).

 Review Role & Agenda

• Each player opens their link in a browser tab, revealing their private Role and Agenda.
• They spend a minute or two reading and planning their strategy.

Zoom Name Format

• Players rename themselves in Zoom to show Name – Role – Coin Count, e.g. "Lynnette – HR Director – 5" 
• They then introduce themselves in character, briefly summarizing their role’s perspective.

 Facilitator Action

• The facilitator clicks Generate Scenario on the facilitator webpage, revealing a random Scenario card image.
• They read it aloud for all players.

 Set Discussion Length

• The facilitator enters a recommended time (e.g., 30 or 45 minutes) into the Countdown Timer field.
• Upon clicking Start Timer, the countdown is displayed on the facilitator’s screen.

Stop Sharing

• After confirming everyone sees the scenario, the facilitator stops screen-sharing so participants can more easily see each other’s Zoom videos.
• The timer continues running in the facilitator’s browser.

Coin & Power Mechanics

• If any player decides to spend 5 coins on a Power Card, they announce it to the group.
• The facilitator clicks Generate Power Card; a link (e.g., “Power Card 1”) is displayed.
• They provide that link to the player privately, and the player subtracts 5 coins from their name in Zoom.
  • Example: “Lynnette – HR Director – 0” if she had 5 and spent them all.

Negotiation & Coin Updates

• If coins are traded among players, they adjust their Zoom names to reflect the new totals, maintaining transparency.

 Time’s Up

• Once the timer runs out (or the facilitator stops it manually), each player simultaneously casts their final vote (e.g., to Cooperate or Not) using the Zoom chat.
• The group can then see how each participant voted and proceed to scoring.

Exit Your Role

• Step out of the persona you adopted and return to your own professional perspective.

Discuss Reflection Prompts

• You can visit the reflection prompts on thegameofeducation.com for deeper insights.
• Encourage each participant to share what they learned, how real-world parallels emerged, and any next steps they might consider in genuine educational contexts.

 Screen-Sharing:

• The facilitator shares their browser only when needed (randomizing roles, agendas, scenario).
• For the main discussion, it can be more comfortable if everyone sees each other’s faces rather than the webpage.

Zoom Names:

• Keeping your coin count in your display name is a handy reminder to yourself and others.

Communicate Clearly:

• The facilitator keeps an eye on the timer.
• Players announce coin trades or Power Card buys early, so the facilitator can generate links quickly.

Use the /reset Button:

• If you want to start another scenario from scratch, the “Reset Entire Game” button reinitializes all Roles, Agendas, Scenarios, and Power cards, so you never have to re-run the server.