This activity is a great way to teach kids the importance of working as a team and cooperating. The objective is for each team to finish with a positive score. Divide your group into four teams. The game has 10 rounds. For each round, groups must choose a color – either “Red” or “Blue” without knowing
what the other groups have chosen.

The group then wins (or loses) points based on what the other groups chose.

4 x Blue: (ie. all teams choose Blue) Lose 1 point
3 x Blue: Win 1 point
1 x Red: Lose 3 points
2 x Blue: Win 2 points
2 x Red: Lose 2 points
1 x Blue: Win 3 points
3 x Red: Lose 1 point
4 x Red: Win 1 point

So for example, if three groups choose Blue, they get 1 point, and the group that chose red loses 3 points.
The scoring structure is set up to encourage groups to work together and choose Red. The temptation is to choose Blue and win big (but hurt the other teams).

There is no talking allowed between groups except during negotiation periods (after rounds 2, 4, 6 and 8). There are also bonus rounds (5, 7 and 10) where there are more points up for grabs!

We have included a scoring sheet on the next page, and a scoring summary on the following page (which the teams will need to refer to frequently).

Feel free to adjust the scoring and number of teams to suit your group size. A heads up – sometimes this game can get quite heated so be prepared for that possibility!

Prisoner’s Dilemma Scoring
4 x Blue: (ie. all teams choose Blue)
All teams lose 1 point

3 x Blue: Win 1 point
1 x Red: Lose 3 points

2 x Blue: Win 2 points
2 x Red: Lose 2 points

1 x Blue: Win 3 points
3 x Red: Lose 1 point

4 x Red: Win 1 point