source: www.youthwork-practice.com | 2000 Games, Devotions, Themes, Ideas and more for Youth Work
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2nd Life

Intention of the game:

The youths move around in reduced-sized virtual town. Their team receives a starter credit of 10,000 €. They are able to manage and to economise with the money. The aim of the game is to achieve fame, wealth and to gain honour. At the end, the winner of the game is the team which has converted their money into cash or real estate.

There are the following institutions in town:

Bank
Real estate corporation (public limited company)
Football club (public limited company)
Stock market
Gambling casino
Tradesmen

In addition, there are various incidents which influence life in a positive and negative way:

Economic growth
Demand for goods rises
Demand for goods falls
Profit rises
Turnover rises
Terrorist attack
Stock market crash
Tax reform
Optimism
Pessimism
Inflation
Deflation

These incidents are picked every ten minutes.

Real estate (public limited company)

With this institution, groups can buy and sell properties like houses, flats … etc. So they earn money and protect themselves against deflation. This method is not in the case of inflation. The dividend of a property is fixed by the incidents (named above). Those dividends also have their own “little” stock market. The value of the property is determined every five minutes. You can just acquire properties in one round but in the next round you have to take a break. The exchange rate is also the price of the real estate.

In three different regions it is possible to buy properties:

Baden-Württemberg
Bavaria
Berlin

Value of the properties

6000€
5000€
4000€
3000€
2000€
1000€

Casino

Groups can raise their credit by gambling.

This includes:

Cards; higher or lower
“Swimming”
Games of dices

Groups stake their money. The only opponent is the bank.

Stock market

Every team with a starting capital of 20,000 €, is allowed to join the stock market. The stock exchange price is determined by dice. Big firms which been established on the stock market are:

Daimler Benz
Football Club public limited company
German postal bank public limited company
Siemens public limited company
E.On public limited company
Beyer public limited company
Bank public limited company
Tradesman public limited company

Value of one stock:

6 €
5 €
4 €
3 €
2 €
1 €

The market prices are determined every five minutes. They influence consumption and payment. The dice may be thrown three times in each round. Recession (dropped market value) and expansion (risen market value) is then set off against each other.

Capital provided: 6 = X
X times the change of the value= profit/loss

Football Club (public limited company):

The teams can earn money with athletic activities. In one game, established players play against new ones. If the new players win, they are employed and the old ones are fired. Each game complies with one monthly salary. The wage is also influenced by market price and by the incidents. There is a small severance pay for dismissed players.b

Severance pay: 1.500€

Wage: 3000€

Game: Players try to shoot a goal from a certain distance. Every one has got one shot. The team that achieves the most goals is employed.

Bank (public limited company):

The same as above applies to this institution: “Only good players have the possibility to join this company and to establish themselves” Prospective bankers gamble against new candidates. Once again, each game complies with one monthly salary and there is also a small severance pay out at the end. The wage depends on the overall economic situation (result ticket) and the success.

Severance pay: 1000€

Wage: 2.000€

Game: mathematical, language tasks.

Tradesman (public limited company):

Besides the commercial jobs such as in the bank, there are also jobs related with trading. The rules are the same as those above; new players have to play against established players. 1 game relates to one month’s wage. There is also a small severance pay. The wage paid by the tradesmen is also dependent upon the overall economic situation (result cards) and upon success …

Severance pay: 500 €

Wage: 1000€

Game: Guessing weights

Advice:

Lots of members of staff are needed
The game is for children from the age of nine upwards (due to the complexity of the game)
If there is a “staff surplus”, one employee can become an “economic advisor” who explains what effects the “results cards” have.

For an example:

Inflation --> value of currency falls --> Advise: “transfer your money into commodity values.”
(In the game: Falling wages, in case of rising property values)
Deflation --> value of currency rises --> Advise: “transfer commodity values into investments.
(In the game: Rising wages, falling value of properties)

Devotion to 2nd life

“Second-Life” is a virtual world. It includes scenes, islands and houses. The user of “Second-Life” is able to move around in this digital world with his/her own artificial figure. These figures are called an “avatar”. “Second-Life “offers the chance to create a new identity which does not have anything to do with real life. In the digital world, the user has the opportunity to build houses, to buy cars or to undertake business. The avatar can meet friends, experience concerts and so forth. In “Second-Life” the gamers can form an individual life; they can change their face and improve in their body. There is no limit to the changes; the avatar can be muscular or slim. The user enters a new life without getting older, without getting ill and without dying.

Everything is virtual.

The bad news involved in Second Life:

Apart from the cost of 7 € each month, the new life is not better than the first one. Nothing new happens! Gamers buy and sell and go through shopping malls and meet people. The game promises a second life with endless possibilities. But what do the gamers who start that game do?

They build houses even though they don’t need shelter because it doesn’t rain
They build streets although the Avatars are able to fly
In addition to that, there are also crimes, wars, terrorism, violence and people are cheated and robbed by others.

But what makes the difference to real life?

The real life looks and is different. It is not a fantasy world. It is difficult but substantial and wonderful. Real life can be sad, but makes us also happy. It is complicated but surprising.

Real life has a beginning and it has an end. It confronts and challenges us with all kinds of tasks. And we have to cope with all of our strengths and weaknesses.

We have to live: Today and here!

We have to make our way. And we have to ask ourselves the main questions in life:

Who I am?
Where are I am from?
Where are I am going?

But God talks to us:

“I am the way and I am the truth and I am the life” Jesus Chris tells us. And he means our own life.

”I am the way…”, we do not need navigation system or GPS to find the right way in our life. We just have to follow our faith.

“I am the truth …”, we do not need the “Google” search engine to find the truth. We only need Gods words and commandments.

“I am life…”, we do not need a second, virtual life. We can form and design the life God has given us; our life. And it is certain that there is something special and better for us after the end of our life.

We are not deleted from God’s hard drive.

We are not cheap pirate copies.

I’d like to finish with a prayer:

Father in heaven,
I want to thank you,
for hearing our prayers.
We know that you are always there for us,
in all situations of our life.
We need not be alone and never be lonely.
You hold us
in your kind hand.

You love us so much, that you died for us.
We are not cheap pirate copies to you.
You are such a good father to us
and we wish that it will never end.

Therefore, bless the remaining time here and be our guest.
Amen

Author: Alexander Dohl, Neuweiler, Germany