Jeff Clarence L.

Ang || THEO 12 F

In the beginning, the game seemed like a typical card game: we randomly select a certain
number of cards from a deck, and since it was my first time playing the game, I did not know of any of
the twists that would happen. I merely followed the instructions: the main objective of the game is to
finish with the most number of points, with the point system being based off the cards that you have.
With the initial 10 cards that I drew, I would have to climb my way up by trading with others. My main
focus was on strategizing how I would trade to increase my points, either by receiving cards of higher
value or increasing the quantity of cards that I have for a certain type.
Throughout the activity, there were patterns which became more and more evident as the game
went on. From the very beginning, there were already people who had an unfair advantage over others
— advantages which were not earned but instead based on their luck when drawing the cards. Personally,
I started with only 280 points which already placed me at a disadvantage compared to those who were
able to draw cards of high value or even those who were able to draw a gun which gave them absolute
power over one person they traded with in each round. After the first round, the social groups were
introduced and positions were based off point tallies after each round. Those with the most points were
taga-bayans, those with the least were taga-bundoks, while the middle class was the taga-barrios. After
the first round, I ended up in the middle class and I stayed in this position until I had to pay points since
I did not have two vegetables. I found it really difficult to significantly increase my points through trade;
the only reason why I was able to stay as a taga-barrio was because I ran after the cows dropped before
the second round (we did not share the cows equally). However, as people in the middle class, our
position after each round was very unpredictable as we could move up or easily fall down. The only
ones who were certain of their positions were the taga-bayans who were really high up for the other
people to reach or the taga-bundoks who were really far down for them to still climb up. In addition,
another pattern present in the game was the decision-making power of the taga-bayans. After each
round, the people who were already on top of the social structures were equipped with the power to set
a rule. They used these rules for their own benefit in order to keep their position safe, as evident when
they banned the use of guns and when they prohibited the people from the lower classes from trading
with members of their class. This made it much more difficult to reach the people who were already on
top.
While the objective of the game was to obtain as many points as possible, the structures and
the mechanics present made it almost impossible for those who were not taga-bayans from the very
beginning to win. In terms of the twists introduced in the middle of the game, they were made in such
a way that the taga-bayans, especially those with a lot of points and a high diversity of cards, would
hardly get affected, while the taga-bundoks and taga-barrios who were already struggling would lose
even more points. The mechanics (in terms of the twists) made the poor even poorer while those who
had a lot of points were unaffected. When the twist that we had to show two vegetables and one fish
was introduced, I lost points which made me fall to the lowest class. My most significant experiences
during the game happened when I was really paranoid to satisfy the conditions of the twists, as I came

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Jeff Clarence L. Ang || THEO 12 F

into the rounds knowing that I had to somehow trade for these cards which proved to be extremely
difficult since a lot of other people were looking for these cards as well.
With these in mind, the game actually reflected a lot of issues present in the Philippine society.
First, the distribution of goods and people reflects the idea that not all Filipinos are born equal. There
are Filipinos who are fortunate enough to be born wealthy from the very beginning, while there are
those who are born in a position where they will struggle from the beginning. The bottom line is that
the position a Filipino is born in is dependent on chance and not by choice, as seen with how a big part
of our fate in the game was decided by the random set of cards that we drew at the beginning of the
game. In our society, a lot of the less-fortunate Filipinos were placed in poor conditions ever since they
were born. Second, the social structures and the mobility between social groups parallel the existence
of a social hierarchy in the Philippine society today and the concept of “privilege.” In the game, a
player’s social class was determined by his or her points, which essentially reflects how a person’s
position in the social hierarchy today is decided by his or her wealth. A lot of the powerful figures in
the Philippines today are those who are wealthy, whom are usually the CEOs in multinational
companies or are politicians who have a stake in the government and the economy. There are few people
at the top of the hierarchy while a lot of Filipinos struggle at the bottom due to the unequal distribution
of wealth in the country. On the other hand, there are the less-fortunate people who struggle to attain
their basic needs. While access to basic needs and quality education are supposed to be rights for all
Filipinos, these become a matter of privilege in the Philippine society today, as evident with how the
basic needs and education cannot be reached by Filipinos experiencing poverty. Instead of having
money to save and becoming wealthier in the future, the less-fortuante Filipinos become focused
towards merely being able to survive and access these basic needs. In the game, this was evident with
how those who were unable to show specific cards lost points, and even at the end, those who did not
have enough points were placed in jail. Finally, the mechanic in the game wherein only the taga-bayans
had the power to set rules reflects how decision-making in the Philippine society is limited to a small
group of elites. These powerful people make decisions which further empower their own group and
increase their wealth; these rules are often personal and made without the consideration of the needs of
those below that group, and sometimes, these rules are even made to the detriment of the well-being of
the less-fortunate people. It becomes ironic since in a country that is supposedly democratic, a lot of
Filipinos are oppressed and the voices of the less-fortunate are silenced while the power to make
decisions is kept within a small group of powerful individuals.
Similar to the game, it can be concluded that holistically, there are Filipinos who are born
unfortunate in a poor situation by chance and they are forced to live under a system that makes it difficult
for them to even achieve their basic needs. However, we must also realize that those who are born under
better circumstances actually have the power to help lift the poor out of poverty. They can use their
privilege for the benefit of the less-fortunate, such as through the people at the top making rules which
will benefit everyone in the society.