Survival!: A Portable Simulation That Encourages Failure

Abstract This single-lesson simulation is designed to allow students to explore concepts related to bargaining, credible commitments, and the security dilemma in an anarchic environment. The simulation is designed assuming about 20 participants, divided into 4 groups, but is easily modifiable for either more groups or more participants. The goal of each group is resource acquisition, and a failure to acquire adequate resources can result in the elimination of group members from the simulation. Resource acquisition can be done either cooperatively or competitively. The design of this particular simulation is structured to make failure probable for a sizeable minority of participants. This design choice is intentional, as the simulation seeks to turn failure into a pedagogical device. Along with presenting the simulation itself, the piece also argues for the pedagogical merits of designing for failure in classroom exercises.