Games!! Flexibility = Strategy

Last week in class we took a different approach to learning about rhetoric and put our knowledge to use in a fun setting... word games.

First we played this terrible game where the dealer had to choose two cards and pick a category for them, which then everyone else at the table had to put down a card that fit the category. The point of the game was to choose the best card so that that it would get picked and earn a point. I was not a fan of this game because a) I didn't know what many of the cards meant/ couldn't really relate to them and b) I didn't know my audience too well. The strategy to winning this game is to know the audience and choose cards based on which cards you think they will like and choose. I do think this was a good way of teaching rhetoric because rhetoric is all about knowing the audience and using language in persuasion.

The second game we played was Cards Against Humanity. I am a big fan of this game and I used to play it back home with my friends pretty frequently. However, again I struggled with the game because I was not too familiar with my audience. When I play with my friends I know exactly which cards to play based on their personalities and sense of humor. Depending on the person I'll choose funny cards, extremely offensive ones, cards that involve an inside joke, or cards that just make sense. Not knowing the audience made this very difficult and I did not do as well as I normally do... which I think is what we were supposed to learn from this. Know your audience!!

Both of these games required me to be flexible, especially as the rounds progressed. Seeing which cards people chose and put down gave new information about them and helped me figure out what cards I should give them in future rounds. Also drawing new cards gave a constant flow of new possibilities.

References

  • Header picture: https://www.thisiswhyimbroke.com/library-book-style-board-games/
  • Cards against humanity picture: https://hobbylark.com/board-games/Board-Games-for-Adults

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