The game Addendum is designed to reflect the US system for policy making, particularly the addendums that are added to policies to facilitate their passage. The game is designed to be a negotiation-based game. Players each their public and private interests as they review the presented policies, negotiating with others on passing or failing each addendum. At the end of the game, the players will vote on the passing or failing of the policy package and calculate the points they received based on how well the passing bill aligns with their individual interests.
The game’s intended value lies in the system it tries to present. By being a policymaker, the players can easily stimulate real policy-making processes and learn how policymakers decide on passing policies and addendums. The players also face the dilemma of gaining as many points as possible independently and working with others as a smoother way to victory. If choose to do so, players can practice their negotiating and persuasive skills while trying to convince other players to pass or fail an addendum.
The game Addendum delivers a mixed architecture of loops and arcs. By not revealing points gained by each player, the game implements an interaction arc, where players don’t have a chance to re-establish their mental model of the game and change their actions accordingly. Simultaneously, however, the game incorporates some loops within the structure. For example, for each policy presented, the players go through the loop of responding to the policy, negotiating, deciding the vote, and revealing the result. Hence, players can learn about the process of passing policy as the game progresses and change their actions accordingly. Additionally, the players’ public and private interests, which can alter the way players play the game, are randomized. Hence, as players play the games a few times, players may develop new mental model for this game and alter their strategies.
