Board Game Helps Young Koreans Discover a Career

By the end of the first phase of the game, players discover the kind of requirements that they deem most important based on the color of the cards they have accumulated. (image: The Hope Institute)

SEOUL, May 11 (Korea Bizwire) – The Hope Institute announced Wednesday that it is launching a board game dubbed “Go Find a Good Job” (translated), which may help young students decide on their future career path.

The game is split into two parts. 

The first part focuses on discovering the types of jobs that individuals prefer most. Three players are required to play the game, and must answer questions as honestly as possible to obtain the best results. 

The game begins with 20 “time” chips for each of the players, who are also asked to pick 20 additional “resource” chips that they deem essential. Resource chips include educational background (or other qualifications that can improve their resume), family support, perseverance, and the experience of various hardships. 

Players take turns purchasing with their resource chips what are called “work and experience cards,” color-coded cards labeled with different types of job experience, vacation, and personal values. Each card also comes with a colored puzzle piece to be placed on the board given out at the beginning of the game. 

(image: The Hope Institute)

By the end of the first phase of the game, players discover the kind of requirements that they deem most important based on the color of the cards they have accumulated. Having more blue cards, for example, indicates that a player is primarily seeking a stable job. 

The puzzle pieces, on the other hand, tell the values of a “good job.” For instance, the possession of more green pieces indicates that a player prefers jobs that guarantee work-life balance. 

The second phase is more debate-oriented, requiring the leader, who is the player with the fewest empty spaces on the puzzle board, to bring other players’ resources together to set forth specific job policies. According to the developer, the gist is to allow players to appreciate that it not only requires individual efforts but also the cooperation of the society in order for each person to acquire the best jobs. 

“In our research, we discovered that our society lacks the opportunity for citizens to talk about what they consider to be good jobs,” said senior researcher Hwang Se-won at the Hope Institute. “We hope our game will allow players to discover the jobs they favor, and understand that we should look after our communities for others to achieve the same goal.”

By Kevin Lee (kevinlee@koreabizwire.com)