The Gender Game

Pick a figure – roll the dice – pick a card – answer a question about gender stereotypes – does your answer match scientific findings? Suitable for children, youth and adults! Start having fun and play now!

GG= Gender Game + good game (that’s what gamers say after a fair and enjoyable game)

Even though gender equality is written in the law, it is not fully achieved in the real national contexts. Awareness of the gender stereotypes and their possible implications is one of the tools in reducing these disparities. Building on its own scientific research and facilitated by the FNR funding, LISER has created and developed a large (physical) board game. The Gender Game (GG) is an interactive board game created by scientists (women and men) for children, youth and adults in order to raise awareness of gender differences in our society. In order to deconstruct the gender stereotypes, it is necessary to interact with children, teenagers and adults and through discussions raise awareness of the existence, creation and impact of gender stereotypes on the relations between women and men in society. The main goal of the game is to make people want to question preconceived ideas, to construct an argument and to become familiar with scientific reasoning.

Content

• 1 game board (3X3m) divided into 20 boxes and 4 domains (4 colors) of gender inequalities: the domains of knowledge, work, power an society
• 4 Figures (male-female)
• 1 dice
• cards
• Laptop, powerpoint with the questions/answers, beamer

Players

To play the GG you need at least 4 players (or 2 teams of max 2 people) and at most 4 players (or teams).

Age

The GG can be played at any age. There are 3 sets of questions: for children aged 8-12 / adolescents / adults. Children can play with adolescents and adults if each person draws a questions from their corresponding set.

Language

The GG can be played in several languages. The questions are available in French, German, Luxembourgish and English. The answers to the questions are displayed on the screen in their original language (scientif publication) and illustrated by the GG-Team leaders.

Rules

• Players (or teams) choose a figure (fox / cat / dog / hedgehog) and place it in a corner the corners of the game board.
• The youngest player starts first.
• S/He rolls the dice and moves her/his figure accordingly. Figures can move in any direction.
• The player draws a card corresponding to the domain (color) of that field. The number displayed on the card corresponds to a question that will be displayed on the big screen.
• The player must answer the question
• If the answer is correct, the player gets a point for this domain (this color). S/he then passes the dice to her/his neighbor to the left, who, in turn, rolls the dice …
• If the answer is wrong, the player does not get a point for this domain (this color), but will have a chance to try again when she/he lands on a field of this domain (of this color) a second time. If the second time, s/he doesn’t succeed, s/he will not be able to collect a point for this domain (of this color).
• The goal of the game is to collect as quickly as possible the points of the 4 domains (colors) by answering the questions correctly.
• The game is over when all the players have exploited the 2 chances to correctly answer the questions in the 4 domains (colors) or when one of the players has obtained 4 points.
• The player with the most points (1 to 4) wins the game.
• The purpose of the game is achieved when the players have enjoyed themselves, have been sensitized to gender equality in different areas of life, and have learned how preconceived gender differences affect our lives.

Have a good game !

Stemming from its own research, and thanks to funding from the FNR, LISER has created a giant board game from scratch intended for the general public: the GG! GG means Gender Game, but also a Good Game – to signify a fun and fair game.

Reunite players around a giant board game (3X3m). Play individually or with teams. The players navigate through 4 areas of gender inequalities: knowledge, work, power, society. After throwing the dice and moving their piece to the corresponding square, players are asked a gender related question. The first player to get 4 questions correct (one in each areas of gender inequalities) wins!

Target audiences are children aged 8 to 12, young people aged 13 to 18 and adults; a set of questions exists for each target audience, allowing also intergenerational rounds. This game can be played at school, at ‘maisons relais’, at youth houses, at clubs, or at work during training activities. Teachers can schedule a meeting to play the Gender Game on www.gender-game.lu