Game 4: Joke or Disqualification
Game 4: Joke or Disqualification
Objective: Train the “Covert Aggression Detector” to quickly distinguish between a friendly joke and a status attack, and react proportionally.
Players and Roles
- Role A (The Screenwriter): Reads phrases from a list (some neutral, others rude).
- Role B (The Detector): Classifies and responds.
Quick Set-up: The Script
The Screenwriter reads one of these phrases. The Detector must shout the color.
| Phrase | Tone / Intention | Correct Color |
|---|---|---|
| “Hey, that shirt looks good on you.” | Sincere / Compliment | GREEN |
| “Wow, how brave coming dressed like that…” | Sarcasm / Judgment | RED |
| “Pass me the salt, please?” | Neutral request | GREEN |
| “Let’s see if you learn to pass the salt without spilling it.” | Paternalism / Scolding | RED |
| “You look a bit tired, are you okay?” | Real concern | GREEN |
| “You look terrible today, don’t you?” | False concern / Attack | RED |
| “Thanks for the report, good job.” | Gratitude | GREEN |
| “Finally you deliver something decent.” | Praise with implicit insult | RED |
| “Can we talk for a moment?” | Conversation proposal | GREEN |
| “We need to talk (sigh)…” | Anxiety generation | RED |
Mechanics
- The Screenwriter says a phrase with ambiguous tone.
- Ex 1: “Some hair you have today”.
- Ex 2: “Thank goodness you are here, Einstein”.
- The Detector must shout “GREEN” (Friendly) or “RED” (Attack) in less than 2 seconds.
- If GREEN: Smile and continue.
- If RED: Launch a neutral meta-comment (“That comment is unnecessary”, “Where is that coming from?”, “I ignore the tone”).
Debriefing (Closing questions)
- Is it harder to detect or respond?
- Were you afraid of seeming “too sensitive” when marking a RED?
Variant
Play with eyes closed to guide yourself only by the tone of voice (paralanguage).