Since the culmination of the China Game, I have continuously asked myself which game I enjoyed more. Both were challenging and fun; however, the two are extraordinarily unique. Due to having specific goals, the China Game offered more structure and, in turn, was immensely more enjoyable. Nevertheless, I can understand how the majority were probably much less enthusiastic than me. My character was the only one who was a Legalist wanting Civil Service Examination reform. The China Game encouraged me to put more effort due to challenges integrally different than the Athens Game and caused a surreal atmosphere.

During the Athens Game, I was quite lost. Being a Legalist in the China Game allowed me to establish clear goals. For instance, regardless of the costs, I needed to support the First Grand Secretary. If she asked me to find some analects pertaining to a topic, then my goal was to not only find said analects but interpret them appropriately as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the inability of the Purists to match the preparation I had. Although my goals were not met due to the collapse of the Ming Dynasty and the Emperor along with all in the Forbidden City, Julianna, Marie, and I devised plans to lead the game in our favor. For example, regarding the secret society, I suggested sending a mole into the Purist “faction” to determine who was a member of the society. We decided on using Melissa because she was in a position where she would do anything for the Emperor but possessed a Purist mentality. This plan was never carried out.

In regards to the memorials, I feel vastly more accomplished than in the Athens Game. Due to my support of the Emperor and First Grand Secretary, my words were taken very seriously, and if we all had not died, would have been implemented. Specifically, my second memorial was heavily researched, thus lengthy. Regarding my character’s desire to reform the examination system, I succeeded. The one regret that I have is the unused research and solution I produced for the last session. Expanding David’s idea to eliminate tax corruption, I established an outline that could easily be turned into another memorial. Including timing, member qualification, approximate population numbers, and Confucian quotes, my notes were more than a page of a detailed, practical solution.

While aiding Marie with her Yellow River presentation, I remember glancing at a Purist’s notes; next to my name, the words “suck-up” were emphasized. Slightly hurt, I removed myself from the game mentality and thought, “yes, I am being a suck-up. I’m supposed to be.” From that instant, I realized many were taking the game very personally. By no means were the majority of the memorials unprepared. Julianna, and the rest of the Legalists, needed to shake the Purists and keep them off-balanced. We did so by sticking to pragmatic topics. Julianna beautifully quieted the Purists down whenever they spoke of the Succession issue or Wanli as a poor ruler. Every time the game commenced, I could feel either boredom or a hidden beast waiting to lash out. All of the Legalists were extraordinarily engaged in each session. The time during the China Game truly transported me into a completely separate state of mind.

The China Game required many outside of class research hours and was equally thrilling to the Athens Game even with the lulls. I prepared more for this game than I have for any other class. Regardless of the hard work and hard feelings, I have had the most fun learning history than ever before. If given the opportunity to play again, I would.