{"id":23622,"date":"2026-06-24T11:19:14","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T02:19:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.total.titech.ac.jp\/?p=23622"},"modified":"2026-06-24T15:33:07","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T06:33:07","slug":"report_20260514","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.total.titech.ac.jp\/en\/report_20260514\/","title":{"rendered":"[Workshop Report] Trading Game Workshop (Reported by: Yuta Murao, D2, School of Life Science and Technology, ToTAL 6th cohort)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A workshop \u201cTrading Game\u201d<\/strong> (the entrepreneurship program) was held on May 14, 2026.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

About the Trading Game Workshop<\/span><\/i><\/div><\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Facilitator<\/td>Kenshu Kamura<\/strong><\/strong>\uff08\u7279\u5b9a\u975e\u55b6\u5229\u6d3b\u52d5\u6cd5\u4eba \u5834\u3068\u3064\u306a\u304c\u308a\u30e9\u30dchome\u2019s vi \u4ee3\u8868\u7406\u4e8b)<\/td><\/tr>
Date & Time<\/td>Thursday, May 14, 2026, 18:00\u201321:00<\/td><\/tr>
Venue<\/td>S4-202, Ookayama Campus<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Overview<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In this workshop, we learned about the importance of negotiation and cooperation through the Trading Game, which is designed to reflect the modern international society. Participants were divided into groups of two to five members, and each group represented a country. By using limited resources and tools, participants produced products. And they aimed to maximize their wealth through negotiation and cooperation with other countries. During the game, market conditions changed and some rules were added. So, they were needed to adapt their strategies flexibly. After the game, they reflected on their decisions and discussed both good and bad points of their actions.
Through this workshop, we understood the importance of negotiation, cooperation, and decision-making, as well as the difficulty of making decisions in situations marked by inequality and change.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Activity 1\uff1aCheck-in<\/strong><\/h4><\/div>
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First, participants introduced themselves within their groups, sharing their backgrounds, current feelings, and what they believed to be important in negotiations. Opinions varied among participants, such as \u201cbuilding trust\u201d, \u201cinformation\u201d, and \u201cunderstanding the needs of others\u201d. I felt this activity helped create a comfortable atmosphere for discussion in each group.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Activity 2\uff1aTrading Game<\/strong><\/strong><\/h4><\/div>
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Next, we played the Trading Game, which was designed to reflect the modern international society. They were divided into groups of two to five members, and each group represented a country. Each country was provided with different resources and tools, and participants were required to produce products and sell them to the world bank. The goal was to build as much wealth as possible through negotiation and cooperation with other countries. During the game, the facilitator, who acted as the United Nations, introduced changes to the rules and market conditions. As a result, participants needed to observe the situation and think about their strategies flexibly.

Before the game, most participants seemed excited and curious about what would happen. However, once the game started, they struggled to grasp the situation and gathered around the United Nations desk and information board to confirm the rules and market conditions. Also, negotiations seemed unrealistic in the early stage because participants had difficulty setting reasonable conditions for agreements. However, as the game progressed, they gradually came to understand their own strengths, market conditions, and effective strategies, and appropriate task allocation. One of the most interesting things was that the behavior of each country was very different because initial conditions were not the same. Some groups with limited resources or tools cooperated with other countries to overcome their disadvantages. In contrast, some countries with abundant resources or tools leveraged their advantages to negotiate more effectively. Moreover, it was interesting that the value of resources and tools changed. In the early stages, tools were highly valuable, whereas resources became more valuable later. I learned that the value may change depending on market condition. Furthermore, it was very important not only to compete but also to build trusting relationships by deciding how to negotiate and which countries to negotiate with. Actually, groups that cooperated with other groups from the early stage were able to establish trusting relationships with others and gain advantages.

Through this activity, I realized that negotiation skills, trusting relationships and flexibility are just as important as resources and technology.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Activity 3\uff1aResults and Reflection<\/strong><\/h4><\/div>
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After the Trading Game, each team counted the money they had earned and the results were announced. First, they reflected in the same groups they had worked with during the game by discussing what had worked well, what they liked or disliked during negotiations, and what strategies they would use if they played the game again. Then, they exchanged ideas with people from the other groups. It was impressive that each group had different strategies and values even in the same game.

Also, some students said that the game was very complex and felt similar to modern international society, requiring strategic planning and information gathering. Moreover, others said that it was difficult to make good decisions because they did not know what resources other countries had. So, they suggested that if there had been an opportunity for representatives from each country to gather and exchange information, they could conduct more advanced strategies and negotiations. On the other hand, they pointed out some differences from the real world. For example, countries in the real world had different special products and trade them with each other. In addition, human resources are also valuable.

Then, the facilitator commented that the game style may change depending on the participants. Even with the same rules, some teams focused on cooperation while others focused on negotiation to maximize their own profits. This showed that their personalities and values strongly influence the atmosphere of the game. It was also shared that some teams with limited resources were able to take advantages by building cooperative relationships with other groups. This suggested the importance of trust and collaboration.

Through this reflection, we learned that success in modern economic activities in international society depends not only on resources and technology, but also on many other factors such as information-gathering skills, negotiation skills, trusting relationships, and flexible strategic thinking.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Reflection<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Through this workshop, I could learn through experience about the complexity of modern international society. What impressed me most was that having more resources or tools did not necessarily gain advantages. Instead, gathering information, negotiating effectively, and building trusting relationship with other countries were more important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first, many participants were confused and did not know how to act. However, as the game progressed, each group gradually analyzed the situation and developed various strategies. Through this process, I realized how difficult it is to make decisions in uncertain situations. Also, I learned the importance of flexibility. Since market conditions and rules often changed during the game, it was not enough to keep following the initial strategy. They needed to change their actions according to the different situation. This experience showed the importance of flexibility. Furthermore, in negotiation with other groups, it was important not only to gain short-term profits but also to maintain cooperative relationships in the future. I observed that countries that built trusting relationship with other groups were able to achieve greater success in the long run. I felt that this lesson applies not only to international relations but also to research activities.

In addition, during the reflection session, it was shared that the same game could unfold differently depending on the participants. This made me realize that people’s personalities and values can have a significant impact on market conditions. In my daily research activities, I often focus on individual tasks such as experiments and data analysis. However, this workshop made me realize the importance of understanding situations and acting strategically by collaborating with other people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Additional <\/strong>Note<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

I participated in this workshop as an observer. It was very impressive that almost all students actively engaged in the Trading Game because the workshop was so similar to modern international society that they could learn the economic systems and negotiation. Rather than simply attending a lecture, they were required to think for themselves, take action, and negotiate with others. As a result, I felt that they were able to learn in a practical way. I highly recommend this workshop to anyone who would like to learn the importance of negotiation and collaboration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Written by:<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yuta Murao, D2, School of Life Science and Technology, ToTAL 6th cohort<\/p>\n