January 1990
In this simulation, players experience living in a culture in which short people are artificially disadvantaged. The simulation provides an opportunity for participants to understand what it’s like to live in a different culture, but more especially it helps them see the significance of power in a society where status depends on something which is totally out of the person’s control.
When instructing the players, there is no need to set goals for them: they will naturally pick their own goals and playing strategies: survival, gain power, gain wealth, accumulate goods, help others, etc (as they do in real life). This opens the possibility of talking about competition and co-operation in the de-briefing. It is perhaps useful, however, to give people permission to act differently from their usual patern: a simulation game is a safe place to see what it would be like to have a different personality. The player’s goals and values in the game do not necessarily reflect their goals or values in real life.
Social Rules of the Smnltz Culture
Status
Status depends solely on height. The taller you are, the more privileged.
Each citizen must wear a Badge, showing their official height in cm. The Badge should just show a number (eg 150), so that it’s not immediately obvious to foreigners what the badge means.
Apart from the Tallest Person, who is respected and honoured by all, the population is divided into three groups:
- The Upper Class (the tallest 10%) produce luxury goods
- The Middle Class (next 30%) are home builders
- The Lower Class (shortest 60%) produce food
Trade
A citizen may sell goods in exchange for cash to anyone, as long as they have a badge. No trade is allowed with people who don’t have a Badge, i.e. foreigners.
Height Measurement
One citizen is designated as the Measurer. It is the Measurer’s job to measure people’s height and to write Badges. One of the game facilitators should act as Measurer initially, but once the game starts it is the role of the tallest person in the Middle Class (which may change during the game).
Citizens may apply to this person for Remeasurement at the end of each round, at a cost of Z10. This is important when someone’s height is disputed, or when someone has bought a pair of shoes or a hat (which, of course, makes them taller!) The Z10 payment belongs to the Measurer.
Illegal Badge alteration is punishable by death. However, you may be able to bribe or trick the Measurer.
Foreigners may become citizens by applying to the Measurer for a Badge. This is free.
The next two tallest people in the Middle Class are the Hatmaker and Shoemaker.
Distribution of Resources
At the beginning, everyone lines up to be measured and to receive their initial allocation of money, representing what they have been able to accumulate so far in life:
- Lower Class citizens receive no money
- Each Middle Class citizen is given Z20
- Each Upper Class citizen is given Z40.
During the course of one year, each citizen produces the following:
- Lower Class: Food to the value of Z20 and clothes to the value of Z10.
- Middle Class: The Hatmaker can make one hat per year. The Shoemaker can make four shoes a year. The rest of the Middle Class together can make sufficient shelter for everyone in the game, and this is divided roughly equally between them.
- Upper Class: Luxury goods to the value of Z80.
The Game Cycle
- Facilitator measures everyone and gives them a slip of paper with their height written on it.
- Everyone lines up in height order and is allocated to a Class based on the 10/30/60 ratio. Each class then sits in a separate area. Badges are given to everyone based on their Class: Orange for Lower, Green for Middle and Yellow for Upper Class. Everyone writes their height on their badges.
- Hand out initial allocation of money.
- Explain the game cycle and the range of goods available. Put a list on the overhead.
- Hand out the goods coupons for the first year’s production.
- Allow 5-10 minutes of trading. Money can be spent, saved or given away as they please.
- At the end of a year, trading stops and everyone sits down again in their Classes.
- Each person must hand back to the facilitator all food coupons, clothing coupons and rent coupons since these need to be renewed each year. Anyone who cannot hand in at least Z10 of food, Z5 of clothing is pronounced dead and becomes an observer from then on. So is anyone who cannot show a coupon for some form of shelter, at least a sleeping bag.
- Anyone who wishes can apply for re-measurement. Then everyone lines up in height order again and is re-split into Classes to maintain the 10/30/60 ratio. Where necessary, Badges are re-issued in the correct colour.
- Go back to Step 5.
If it is possible, keep several people out of the simulation for the first couple of years. In fact, don’t let these people know much about the culture at all. Once the yearly cycle is running smoothly, bring these other people in as foreigners. Don’t give any instructions to citizens about how they should treat foreigners.
The simulation has no natural ending and should be stopped after about four or five years.
Equipment
- About 15 participants (12 citizens and 3 foreigners)
- Lots of Monopoly money
- A supply of badges in three colours (for each social group)
- Tape measure
- Coupons to represent food, clothing, shelter and luxury items of various values, as per the table below.
| Category | Item | Value | Number of coupons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food | Survival food | 10 | 25 |
| Really yummy food | 20 | 15 | |
| Clothing | Old rags | 5 | 15 |
| Trendy clothes | 10 10 | ||
| Shelter | Sleeping bag | 5 | 15 |
| One room rent | 10 | 15 | |
| House module | 25 | 15 | |
| Heighteners | One cm shoe extension | 10 | 20 |
| Five cm hat extension | 40 | 5 | |
| Luxury | Overseas travel | 50 | 5 |
| Swimming pool | 50 | 5 | |
| Car | 20 | 5 | |
| Boat | 20 | 5 | |
| Stereo | 10 | 5 | |
| TV | 10 | 5 | |
| Dishwasher | 10 | 5 |
Some Suggested Questions for De-Briefing
Details of the Simulation
How did you feel about paying taxes to the Tallest Person?
What did you like and dislike about your social class?
Did you ever disobey the social rules? eg illegal trading, illegal Badge alteration
Life Goals
What were you trying to achieve in the game? eg make a lot of money, raise your status, get ahead of someone else, help people who were struggling.
Are these goals the sort of thing you hope to attain in real life?
What strategies did you use to reach your goals? Did you see yourself alone, in competition with everyone else? Or did you work along with others?
Draw up a table showing the advantages and disadvantages of competition and co-operation.
Social Status
Is social status important in our culture? Do you think it should be? Could we live without a status structure?
Is height a good reason to give someone higher status?
To what extent does height affect status in our culture?
What things should determine social status?
Powerlessness
What was it like to be a foreigner?
What options were available to the Lower Class to enable them to change their social status? It will be especially interesting to hear from the shortest person since they were prohibited from buying from anyone!
What would happen if all the Lower Class died out?