Illustration by Ronja Polzin — roevardotter.de/
What is it & Why is it important
- Structural Features: Salvage allows you to articulate the way social environments are set up, and generate ideas about how to improve them for different ways of being
- The subtle ways that environments affect our behavioral choices are often hidden
- Players explore the relationship between systems and values, and learn to generate better systems (i.e., relationships, parties, workplaces, social clubs, institutions, etc.)
- The environments in which we operate ("structures" in sociology) influence and limit our choices. When we can foresee the consequences of various setups, we can (re)design systems that support people in living by their personal values.
- Structural Features: Salvage is a game for practicing social design
How to use it / The Rules.
One person in the group shares a story about an event, workplace, relationship, or other social system in which a value is being blocked. The rest of the group tries to salvage the situation by changing it's structural features to support the value.
Beginners will definitely want to refer to "A List of Structural Features" below. Try to imagine the strategies that different goals are likely to encourage people to pursue. Think through the expectations that various setups imply. How could things be arranged differently to encourage strategies and expectations that support the value?
It's also fun and insightful to play the inverse game — Structural Features: Sabotage in which you take environments that work for a value and try to undermine them in subtle and creative ways.
Happy tinkering!
- Video Examples of activities
Cheat Sheet
- ← Click here for a list of ⚙️ Structural Features
Watch out for these common mistakes
- The structure of a social situation will generate predictable expectations and goals. Make sure to think through what these expectations and goals will likely be in your salvage.