Where does the evolution go?

Author: István Scheuring

Recommended age: 10-99

Number of players: 12-40

Space needed for the game: classroom

Difficulty level: 1

Playing time: 10-15 minutes

Preparation time: -

Accessories: -

Short description: Listen, then whisper the heard sentence to your neighbour’s ear! Where did we start from, and where did we arrive to? What happens if we change the sentence transfer rules?

Preparations: The players form a line or a circle, with cca 40-50 cm space between neighbours.

Course of the game: Form a line or a circle with 40-50 cm distance between neighbours. The first player creates a preferably long and complex sentence and whispers it to her neighbour’s ear. The second player transfers the sentence to the third player, and so on. When the last player receives the message, she says out loudly what she has heard. Then the first player says the original message, so that we can compare the two. The sentences are usually get transformed in a funny way. We can repeat the game with new sentences and new starting players.

Variant 1: If we don’t understand a heard word properly, we still pass those meaningless voices that we have heard.

Variant 2: If we don’t understand a heard word properly, we have to change it to a word that sounds similarly, but is connected with a predefined topic (e.g. winter, summer, rain, etc.).

Variant 3: We divide the group into two. The starting player provides both groups with the same sentence. Both groups follow rules of variant 2., but with different predefines topics. For example, one of the groups substitutes the unclear parts with words connected with summer, and the other group does this with words connected with winter.

Variant 4: There are two groups, as in the variant 3., but the two groups start with two different and equally long sentences. However, in this case, both groups substitute the unclear parts with words connected to the same predefined topic, for example winter.

Variant 5: There are two (or more) groups. The rules of transmission can be the basic rule or variant 1. or 2.

Biological background: The game explains the most important elements of evolution. Evolution by natural selection works in the following way: There are units that are capable of replication by making copies of themselves. They preserve their characters by replication, but the copy is not always identical to the original unit. If some of the characters of the units affect the replication success and/or the survival probability of the units, then selection takes place in this system. Those units that replicate faster or live longer than the others, will spread. That is, who adapt better to the living and non-living environment, will be more successful.

Variant 1. If we play it properly, this version shows that if our brain doesn’t select at all among the possible variants, then we soon receive a meaningless sentence. Instead of selection, the high inaccuracy determines the nature of the copy.

Variant 2. There is a definite principle (environment) to which we have to adapt. If you play it right, the message will satisfy the expectation at the end of the sentence evolution.

Variant 3. This version explains the process of speciation. The two groups start with the same sentences, but have to adapt to different "environments". As a consequence, the two final sentences will have different meanings. The situation resembles two populations of a species which adapt to different environments. As a consequence, in the long run they evolve into two different species.

Variant 4. This version resembles the situation when two different species become alike under similar selective pressures. For example, succulent plants retain water by similar methods at very different parts of the Earth.

Variant 5. The same sentence goes through more groups. We will receive diverse sentences at the end of the process, if there is no common principle that determines how to complete the unclear parts of the sentences. However, if there is some common principle that we have to adapt to, the sentence evolution will probably lead to similar results.

References: Own idea, based on similar party games