When Mr Lindsey first explained the Handmaids Mayday game my initial thought was that of pure apprehension. After playing a different game a few weeks earlier that was based on the lottery, a completely cruel and unfair short story, I had little optimism towards games invented by Mr Lindsey (no offense). However, the Handmaids Mayday game was different and after thorough inspection of the rules I decided to try and get it to work in my favor.
The game we played in class was based upon the classic novel The Handmaids Tale written by Margaret Atwood. In this game 3 classmates would start as Eyes, 3 classmates would start as Mayday Rebels, and the rest of the class would start as Handmaids; with no one having knowledge of the roles of the other classmates. There was a day and night to this game. During the day classmates would talk and try to figure out who was what without giving anything away. During the night is when first the rebels would wake, while everyone else closed their eyes, and would chose one person they thought was a Handmaid to either liberate or ask to join them. Afterward the Eyes would wake and try to kill someone they thought was a rebel; an accidental kill of a Handmaid would cause both that Handmaid and the Eye to be executed. There is also room for a Particicution during the daytime in which all classmates could randomly vote to kill someone once per day. What made this game more interesting was the room to receive project points. A liberated Handmaid would receive 20 points,with an additional 20 points if they become a Rebel and survived. All surviving Rebels would receive 20 points. If all rebels were killed then each Eye would receive 20 points and each still living Handmaid would receive 10 points.
When we played this game in class I was given the role of Handmaid. I knew that all I had to do was get liberated and I would receive 20 glorious points towards my project grade. This was my plan, however, I had little control over it and for 5 long days and nights nothing happened. Other people were possibly liberated, killed, or became Rebels, but I was still a trapped bored useless Handmaid. The next night is when things got interesting. Before night fall I made sure to remember who I sat next to and Madry just happened to be the only person sitting to the left of me. I then closed my eyes and listened closely as the Rebels chose their person who then left the room. When it was the Eyes turn to chose someone I heard Madry get out of the desk to my left and then sit back down right before night was over. The next day is when I got courageous. I knew Madry was an Eye so I decided to make the game more interesting and hold the first Particicution. Out of the blue I said, "Hey guys lets Particicute Madry!" At first people were reluctant but after plenty of peer pressure and truly obnoxious behavior the class agreed and sadly Madry was gone. The next night I was liberated and like the greedy Handmaid I am, I fled to Canada to ensure I would receive 20 points.
This game made it horrible clear how greedy of a person I am when it comes to grades. I knew that if I didn't get Madry executed she could accidentally kill me or the rebels would lose and I would receive 10 points instead of 20. While I did feel bad for causing Madry to lose the chance of getting points In the end anything that would help insure my 20 points was worth it.
Relating this to the book makes me realize how much of an "every man for themselves" kind of person I am. If I were a Handmaid in The Handmaids Tale that somehow got liberated I doubt I would have the courage to become a Rebel and try to save others. Then again, If I were a Handmaid, becoming a Rebel would be a matter of life or death for me and many others. In this case maybe I would try to save others as I have found that I am the kind of person who speaks out when something is unfair. It is impossible to truly put myself in such a horrid situation and I hope that I never have to. I would much rather play a game involving project points then deal with other peoples survival.
