Bazaar: a supply and demand trading game for the classroom

Every student runs a shop that makes one raw good. Cash only comes from finished products that need goods from other shops, so the whole class has to trade. There is no price list: wheat costs whatever a classmate will pay. Supply, demand, scarcity and negotiation happen live on the board. Needs at least 6 players so every recipe can be completed; 12 or more is best.

Screenshots

The class screen

A student's phone

The end-of-game recap

What students learn

✓Where prices actually come from: what a buyer and a seller agree on
✓What happens to a price when a good becomes scarce, or floods in
✓Why specialization and trade make everyone richer than going it alone
✓How to post an offer, take one, and negotiate a fair deal

How it works

1Every student runs a shop that makes one raw good, like wheat or wood.
2Cash only comes from finished products, and every recipe needs goods from other shops.
3Students post offers and take deals on their phones. There's no price list: a good is worth whatever a classmate will pay.
4The board shows prices rising and falling as goods become scarce or flood the market.
5At the end, the richest shop wins and the recap shows the price history of every good.

A 30-minute lesson plan

Before (5 min)

Ask: who decides what a bottle of water costs? Take a few answers, then tell them that today they're going to set prices themselves.

Play (15 min)

Play one full game (about 15 minutes). Let the room get loud: negotiating out loud is part of it.

After (10 min)

Put the price chart on the board. Find a moment where a price jumped, and ask the class what caused it.

Discussion questions

Which good became the most expensive? Why?
Did anyone try to make everything themselves? How did that go compared to trading?
What made you accept a deal, or walk away from one?
Where do you see this happening in real life (concert tickets, game consoles at launch, gas prices)?

Teacher tips

Needs at least 6 players so every recipe can be completed. 12 or more is best.
Let students walk around and negotiate face to face. The phone is just for posting and accepting deals.

Questions teachers ask

What if a student can't get the goods they need?+

That's scarcity, and it's part of the lesson. They can offer more, trade something else, or team up. Prices adjust as the game goes.

How many students can play?+

Six up to a whole class. More players means a busier, more realistic market.