The International Space Policy Game "The Chinese Conundrum" is a live-action role-playing game for 20-30 players who are asked to participate in a UN conference to address the implications of the establishment of a permanent Chinese lunar base. The conference participants are the U.S. (inc. NASA), the European Space Agency (ESA), Japan (inc. NASDA), Russia (RKA), and China (CSA). Each entity was represented by 4-6 delegates whose goals were to protect their nations' interests and advance their own personal agendas in a competitive sociopolitical atmosphere. Surpisingly, in the pilot run, Russia aided China in achieving their goals on schedule by furnishing replacement launch facilities to them. The other agencies established a cooperative effort to found an international moon-base as an avenue to Mars. Participants gained greater understanding of technical capabilities and organizational structure of several space programs and the sociopolitical interactions of those bodies. This sort of game has high potential for teaching about, and motivating future study of, science and technology in the context of a social studies oriented game, and thus is a promising vehicle for integrated education and multidisciplinary studies.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Bryant, Shaughn Howey
• Cooper, Sean Michael

Subject

• Industry
• Learning
• Innovation
• Infrastructure
• Sustainability

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 99D211I

Keyword

• Role playing
• Educational games--Design and construction
• Community engagement

Advisor

• Wilkes, John M.

Year

• 1999

Date created

• 1999-01-01

Location

• Worcester

Resource type

• Interactive Qualifying Project

Rights statement

• In Copyright