Barnga

A Simulation Game on Cultural Clashes - 25th Anniversary Edition

Sivasailam Thiagarajan

• Publisher: Intercultural Press
• Year: 2011
• Print ISBN: 9781931930307
• eBook ISBN: 9781473643505
• Edition: 2
• Topic: Education
• Subtopic: Multicultural Education

Wholly revised to celebrate its 25th anniversary, BARNGA is the classic simulation game for exploring communication challenges across cultures. While playing Barnga, participants experience the shock of realizing that despite their good intentions and the many similarities amongst themselves, people interpret things differently from in profoundly important ways, especially people from differing cultures. Players learn that they must understand and reconcile these differences if they want to function effectively in a cross-cultural group. The "game" is deceptively simple: participants, broken up into several small groups, play a simple card, never knowing that each group has been given a subtly different set of rules to play by, nor that those rules will change yet again as the game develops and groups of players are reconfigured. Conflicts quickly begin to occur as players move from group to group, simulating real cross-cultural encounters, where people initially believe they share the same understanding of the basic rules and learn to their dismay and confusion that they do not. In discovering that the rules are different, players undergo a mini culture shock similar to actual experience when entering a different culture. They then must struggle to understand and reconcile these differences to play the game effectively in their "cross-cultural" groups. Difficulties are magnified by the fact that players may not speak to each other but can communicate only through gestures or pictures. In struggling to understand why other players don't seem to be playing correctly, and with the aid of the facilitator, participants gain insight into the dynamics of cross-cultural encounters.

Reproducible Pages

The following section is printed without page numbers to permit photocopying.

• English

Transparency Masters

Rules for FIVE TRICKS

Rules for FIVE TRICKS for Three Players

• French

Transparency Masters

CINQ PLIS

CINQ PLIS pour Trois Joueurs

• German

Transparency Masters

FÜNF STICHE

FÜNF STICHE für Drei Spieler

• Spanish

Transparency Masters

CINCO TRUCOS

CINCO TRUCOS para Tres Jugadores

English

To Explore . . .

• Cooperative learning

• Competitive playing

Instructions

• Form groups of four

• Sit around a table

Learn
FIVE TRICKS

• Read the handout

• Choose your partner

Gag Order

• NO: Talking

• YES: Gestures

• NO: Written words

• YES: Pictures

Tournament

• Play FIVE TRICKS

• Play for 5 minutes

• Play several games

• Keep score

Rules for FIVE TRICKS

Please note:

In all versions of the rules, we have intentionally left out a word in the paragraph with the heading “Winning Tricks.”

At the beginning of the game, while participants are reading the handout, pretend to notice this mistake. Blow the whistle to get participants’ attention and make an announcement similar to this:

I have noticed a mistake in your handout. Let’s get it corrected.

Please locate the paragraph with the heading “Winning Tricks.” The second sentence reads

“The person who played this card gathers up the trick and places it face in front of him or her.”

This is incorrect. It should read:

“The person who played this card gathers up the trick and places it face down in front of him or her.”

Please make this correction now.

This brief action subtly suggests to the participants that they all have identical sets of rules.

FIVE TRICKS

Cards	Only 24 cards are used—Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 in each suit (hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades). Ace is the highest card.
Players	Four—two sets of partners seated opposite each other.
Deal	The tallest person is the first dealer. The dealer shuffles the cards and deals them one at a time until each player has five cards. The remaining four cards are not used in the game. They are placed aside, face down.
Start	The player to the left of the dealer starts by leading (playing) any card. Other players take turns playing a card. The four cards played constitute a trick.
Winning Tricks	When all four players have played a card, the highest card wins the trick. The person who played this card gathers up the trick and places it face in front of him or her.
Play	The winner of the trick plays the first card for the next round. This procedure is repeated until all cards have been played.
Following Suit	The first player for each round may play any suit. All other players must follow suit (which means they should play a card of the same suit). If you do not have a card of the first suit played, then you may play a card of any suit.
Trumps	In this game there are no trumps, so players must follow suit whenever possible. If you do not have a card of the first suit played, then you must play a card of any suit. You don’t win the trick even if you played a high card because it is not of the same suit as the first card for that round.
Continuation	Game ends when all five tricks have been played. Record the number of tricks won by each partnership. Immediately begin the next game with a new dealer (the player seated to the left of the previous dealer).
Ending	When time is called, complete the trick you are currently playing. Do not play any more tricks. Add up the total number of tricks for each partnership to decide who won.

FIVE TRICKS

Cards	Only 24 cards are used—Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 in each suit (hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades). Ace is the highest card.
Players	Four—two sets of partners seated opposite each other.
Deal	The tallest person is the first dealer. The dealer shuffles the cards and deals them one at a time until each player has five cards. The remaining four cards are not used in the game. They are placed aside, face down.
Start	The player to the left of the dealer starts by leading (playing) any card. Other players take turns playing a card. The four cards played constitute a trick.
Winning Tricks	When all four players have played a card, the highest card wins the trick. The person who played this card gathers up the trick and places it face in front of him or her.
Play	The winner of the trick plays the first card for the next round. This procedure is repeated until all cards have been played.
Following Suit	The first player for each round may play any suit. All other players must follow suit (which means they should play a card of the same suit). If you do not have a card of the first suit played, then you may play a card of any suit.
Trumps	In this game spades are trumps, which are only played if you cannot follow suit. You win the trick even if the spade you played is a low card, unless someone else plays a higher spade.
Contin...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Acknowledgments
• Dedication
• Contents
• Background Information
• Essential Procedures
• Additional Suggestions
• Reproducible Pages