Barnga!

In this simulation, the class was divided into groups of four people seated around a table. Each group was then given a set of instructions on how to play a card game. We were allowed to practice the game before starting the simulation. Once the simulation started, our instructions were taken away and we were not allowed to speak to each other. The only way we could communicate with each other was through gestures, simulating a communication barrier. If there was a tie in the game, it was decided that the person whose name came first alphabetically would always win the trick.

The first round was fairly easy. We were able to communicate with each other using minimal gestures. Since we were all familiar with our set of rules, we had almost no disputes about who won the round. At the end the round, both the player who won and the play who lost moved on to other tables.

The second round brought conflict with it. Two of our original players were replaced by two new players. At the start of the game, I signaled to them that at our table, diamonds were trump, but both of them looked as if they could not understand what I was trying to tell them. Once we began playing, it was immediately clear that these new players learned a slightly different set of rules than I did. In the second trick, we had an argument over the winning card. One player tried to tell us that Aces were low and sevens were high. The rest of us sided against him and chose the winner. He was obviously displeased with our decision because he kept waving his hands around, trying to explain his viewpoint. We decided the I won the trick, but after I placed it with my other winnings, I realized that someone else had played a trump card and that I actually did not win the trick in the first place. So, I quickly awarded the trick to someone else while trying to explain about the trump card. This caused even more confusion which we were not able to settle.

In the third round, I moved to another table where the rules were similar to my own table, or at any rate, I found this round to be easier to play. I was amazed that we were able to play smoothly, with little or no conflict between us. The only conflict we had was near the end when we had to decide who won. We held up our fingers to show how many tricks we had won. Even though I knew I had won more tricks than another player, I elected to move to another table because I did not want to willfully break the rules of the other table.

By the fourth round, I became adjusted to the other players’ way of playing the game. If they broke one of my rules, I ignored it. Overall, none of us broke many of the other’s rules. We observed each other and were able to figure out a lot of each other’s rules without offending the other players.

In the different rounds of the game, we were meant to experience the four stages of culture shock: Cultural Euphoria, Cultural Confrontation, Cultural Adjustment, and Cultural Adaptation. In the first round of the game, we were all new to the game and were comfortable with the other people we played with. By the second round, our excitement with the game was gone and variations of the game brought confusion and frustration. When another player insisted on doing something in a different way, we confronted him. The disputes in this round were not settled as easily as in other rounds, perhaps due to the frustration we were all feeling from the inability to communicate with each other. In the third round, things went a lot smoother as we all tried to adjust ourselves to the way other people around us were playing the game. When I was voted out to join another table, I accepted their decision, even though I did not agree with it. By this time, I was adapting to the culture and was trying to assimilate my playing habits with those around me. In the fourth round, I was confident enough to not worry about the little mistakes that my fellow players were making.


Oh, and the name Barnga doesn't really mean anything. The guy who invented the game just named it after some small South African town that he lived in. (the pictures in this post, as well as other pictures on this blog, have no deeper meaning...we just like goofing around with various types of media :P )

--Mary