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The game SO LONG SUCKER was designed in the United States in 1964 with the aim of showing how potentially unethical behavior necessary for winning was inherent in the game’s incentive structure. Sessions with East Asian participants, however, led to very different game dynamics in which collaborative rather than antagonistic behaviors occurred. This confirms that the course of a simulation game run is determined by more than its rules and roles. The participants’ personalities, skills, personal histories, and preexisting relationships also play a role. Furthermore, the unwritten rules of social behavior that the participants have been socialized into, their culture, is of crucial importance. This article uses experiences with a mix of U.S. and Taiwanese participants to discuss the interaction of written and unwritten rules in determining game dynamics. The suitability for international classroom use of this game, and others, as a vehicle for drawing lessons about culture is argued.

The TAKEOVER TRIO is a business game about a takeover. Three stakeholders (mother company, ailing daughter company, and potential buying company) must agree on a plan to prevent compulsory liquidation of the daughter. The primary learning objective is to make participantsaware of the effect of negotiation process parameters on its outcome. Depending on the facilitator’s aims, he or she could highlight either or all of the following process parameters: logical thinking, creativity, dominance, or process management. The game scenario is not based on a real-life case (all data are fictional) but has been devised to balance three stakeholders to prevent an obvious outcome. It takes at least 12 people to play and 3 hours, plus about an hour of preparations for each participant.

This article introduces the concept of synthetic cultures. These are role profiles for enacting dimensions of national culture. The full profiles are given for 10 synthetic cultures, based on Gert Hofstede’s dimensions of national culture. They can be used for training or simulation/gaming. Examples of their application are presented. Apart from examples of existing games, suggestions are made for creating custom simulations that use synthetic cultures. Experiences of players are mentioned, both in face-to-face and in electronically mediated settings. Special attention is paid to debriefing issues. The article concludes with practical advice to prospective game leaders.