A consensus game that energizes the whole school! Fun discussion prompts for everyone
Many people have likely struggled when trying to build relationships in their class or club.
That’s where “consensus games” come in handy! These games are learning tools in which group members share opinions and work toward the best answer, helping them understand each other’s values and improve their communication skills in the process.
They go beyond a simple icebreaker, offering a valuable experience that deepens the bonds within a class.
In this article, we introduce concrete examples of consensus games that can be implemented immediately in schools, along with effective ways to facilitate them.
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Consensus games that energize your school! Fun discussion prompts for everyone (1–10)
Poem of First Love
It’s a theme that lets you reflect on romance while enjoying a story packed with the sweet-and-sour freshness and poignancy of first love.
By thinking about why she exchanged emails and why she sent those words, you can imagine the movements of a person’s heart.
When she seemed to be happily spending time with the boy like a friend, why did I give up on my feelings? Beneath that might lie a lack of confidence or the inner struggle of not being able to muster the courage.
By discussing it with classmates, you can relive the characters’ emotions and overlay them with what you would have done yourself—that’s the appeal.
It’s a topic that invites lively exchanges of opinions, with the bittersweetness of love and personal growth as its themes.
The Runaway Trolley, the Worker, and the Fat Man
A further variation on the trolley problem is the scenario where you could stop the trolley by pushing a fat man standing beside the tracks.
If you push him, many lives would be saved, but you must make the decision to directly sacrifice that person.
The choices are simple, yet they question the value of life and the ethics of actions.
In group discussions, opinions tend to split between prioritizing outcomes and prioritizing the action itself, leading to heated debate.
It’s an idea that allows classmates to delve deeply into their individual values through discussion.
Escape from the Desert
This is a consensus game with the scenario: your plane has made an emergency landing in a desert where only cacti grow.
You have 12 items, such as a flashlight, a compass, a plastic rain poncho, and an aerial photo map.
Rank these items in order of importance.
First, think individually, then discuss within your group.
Consider detailed conditions—like temperatures exceeding 40°C and the nearest settlement being over 100 km away—as you work toward the optimal solution.
A consensus game that fires up the whole school! Fun discussion prompts for everyone (11–20)
Southern Cross Expedition
It’s an exciting theme where you become a member of the Southern Cross Expedition Team and go on a treasure hunt.
It begins when you receive a message from a teammate saying, “I found treasure on a southern island, but it’s heavy—please help.” However, communication is cut off partway through, and the story revolves around completing the remaining map.
Each member holds different pieces of information, and you can’t reach the answer unless everyone shares what they know.
The key is not to keep your own information to yourself, but to share it and work cooperatively with your teammates.
While enjoying the fun of deduction and organizing information, you also learn the importance of trusting your companions.
The very process of completing the map through repeated discussions is a stimulating theme that lets you experience a real sense of accomplishment.
Six patients and medicine
It presents the ultimate choice: help one critically ill patient or save five moderately ill patients.
There is only one dose of medicine; the critical patient needs the entire dose, whereas the moderate patients can all survive if it is divided among them.
The dilemma of valuing a single life versus prioritizing the many exposes one’s values.
Key discussion points include whether all lives are equal in weight or whether social roles should be considered.
It is important for the whole class to debate and work toward a single final decision, making this a thought-provoking theme that lets students experience the challenges of ethics and difficult choices.
Invisible Invaders
This content discusses whether, in a situation where a virus is spreading, families should gather and stay at home or go to work to make a living.
The focus is on how to address the contradiction that prioritizing safety reduces income, while attending school or working in offices increases the risk of infection.
Each member has different positions and opinions—such as the desire to protect children and the elderly and the sense of responsibility to support the economy—leading to a clash of values.
Through speaking, participants not only express their own views but also develop the ability to understand others’ thinking.
If the discussion is held in class, it becomes a deeply educational theme that allows students to simulate the challenges faced by society as a whole.
Class Recreation Consensus Game: Deserted Island Edition
This is an activity where you choose 8 items out of 17 under the scenario that you’ve been caught in a storm and stranded on an uninhabited island.
There isn’t a single correct answer; the key is to discuss why you choose each item as you make your decisions.
The criteria for what seems necessary—such as tools to make fire, food, or items to call for help—vary from person to person.
In small groups, considering what’s essential for survival will also test your ability to cooperate and persuade.
By engaging in conversation and exploring your teammates’ thinking, understanding deepens, and the adventurous theme fosters excitement and a sense of unity.