Students attempt to solve world's problems

Sixty students tried to solve the world's problems in under three hours this weekend. This feat was attempted as part of the first annual "World Game" held Saturday afternoon by the University chapter of the Association Internationale Des Estudiantes en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales (AIESEC). The event, which took place in Hutchinson Gymnasium, is an interactive, educational game in which participants are divided into teams representing distinct global regions and international organizations. Played on a huge global map, the game "creates a microcosm of the conditions of the world," said AIESEC member Sarah Kim, a Wharton sophomore. "People are presented with a list of resources indigenous to their country and then they trade with other countries and organizations to maximize their well-being." The World Game Institute organized and facilitated the event. This group is a non-profit research, education and planning organization that develops tools to help individuals and groups recognize, define and solve global problems, according to its literature. At the outset of the game, participants were given vital statistics about the region they represented. These figures, based on current United Nation's statistics, include the region's average standard of living for a citizen, the Gross National Product, descriptions of imports and exports, energy production per capita, and the overall health of the region, including infant mortality rates, daily caloric intake and life expectancy. Each team sets goals for its region in the areas of food and energy production and consumption and literacy levels. Once the game began, representatives of each region scrambled, like brokers on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, to trade with other regions to achieve their goals. For example, a representative of South East Asia negotiated the finance of new literacy projects for her country with a representative from the World Bank. By the time the game had ended, all but one region achieved its stated goals. Many participants said the game proved that people can work together to solve international dilemmas. "We are all caretakers of the world," said Richard Floyd, a co-founder of The Association for Innovative Education. "The World Game showed us that we can take global points of view and localize them, that through diversity we gain strength." Participants said Saturday they enjoyed the game and thought it was a worthwhile experience that may help solve international problems. "This was a great experience for me," said Engineering sophomore Yi Yuan. "This was a good place to be exposed to students of all nationalities who were concerned with world problems." Danielle Taylor, project coordinator for Inlingua, a translation and interpreting company, said the game "created a very accurate simulation of the real world." "It makes me want to become more political, because that's the only way you're going to make any change," Taylor said.