The Three Elements of a Decision Game

A decision game is an exercise in which players devise, describe, and defend solutions to a peculiar problem faced by a particular person in a specific situation. (This person is known as the protagonist.) The problem, protagonist, and scenario may be products of the imagination of the creator of the game. Alternatively, these may be drawn entirely from an event that actually took place. (If all of the elements of a decision game come from real life, it can be described as a decision-forcing case or a historical immersion problem.)

Each decision game consists of two indispensable elements: a description of the problem and a Socratic conversation about solutions to that problem. In other words, the person running the game (the facilitator) begins by placing players in the shoes of the protagonist, asking them to provide solutions to the problem, explain the reasoning behind their solutions, and challenge the solutions provided by others. In doing this, the facilitator maintains a neutral position, serving more as midwife to the ideas of others than the mother of his own thoughts.

Most decision games also include a third element, a critique in which all concerned take a second look at both the problem and the proposed solutions. If the game is a decision-forcing case, the critique usually includes the historical solution, a description of the decision made by the real-world protagonist and the results that followed. If the game includes speculative elements, the facilitator may provide his own solution to the problem. In either event, the facilitator takes care to explain that, while historical solutions and creators’ solutions provide players with a powerful tool for refining their judgement, they should not be confused with “the right answer.” (For a description of the critiques of decision games conducted by a master of that mode of teaching, see Moltke and the School Solution.)

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