The Austrian Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption (BAK) attaches great importance to addressing and analysing
personal and societal values. It is particularly in the field of corruption prevention that promoting integrity to
avoid misconduct is a key element. In order to expand the offer in this field, the BAK has developed a (nonelectronic) game about values: “fit 4 compliance – find your VALUES”. Its focus is on discussing dilemma
situations and addressing the issue of values such as integrity. Particular emphasis has been placed on the
game’s practical relevance to enable the target group to apply lessons learned to their everyday lives.

In addition to conducting criminal investigations, the BAK has the statutory obligation to take preventive
measures and promote integrity. For the BAK, this includes providing training courses on corruption
prevention and awareness-raising activities. BAK measures and programmes related to the promotion of
integrity and prevention of corruption led the BAK to recognize the need to address and analyse personal and
societal values. Emphasis has been put on providing values education and conveying values to adolescents, the
more so because it has turned out that addressing and teaching moral concepts considerably contributes to
the prevention of misconduct and corrupt acts.
By playing the target group-oriented game „fit4compliance – find your VALUES“, adolescents will, in a playful
way, reflect intensively on and take a critical look at the issue of values. Moreover, the game aims to support
young people in living their lives on the basis of positive values and moral concepts and thus in taking an active
part in shaping society.
The BAK deliberately chose this type of non-electronic game as it ensures a specific sustainability in focusing
on values.
The game is designed for up to seven players. At the beginning, they are given the opportunity to consider
dilemma situations, which are taken from the everyday lives of young people, from different positions or
perspectives and to discuss different possible solutions. The players then choose five appropriate values from
a list, for each of the dilemma situations. Then, they discuss the values chosen and try to give reasons for their
particular relevance to the situation in question, more or less inadvertently talking and thinking about moral
concepts all the while. As the players explain their points of view, they come to understand different value
concepts. The game aims to encourage adolescents to follow positive values and moral concepts, and to
rethink and reflect on their opinions.
The objective of “fit4compliance – find your VALUES” is to holistically develop, in particular, the cognitive,
emotional and behavioural skills of teenagers and adults.

At the Austrian Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption (BAK) we developed the game ourselves, including,
however, students, teachers, and police officers in the process. Upon completion of the prototype the game
was produced by a game publisher.

The Austrian Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption (BAK) had the idea to convey the following value-specific
competences through a game:
The adolescents learn to consider dilemma situations from different perspectives, find solutions and provide
arguments in favour of these solutions. Thus, various approaches and solutions are highlighted. The players
may discover new ways to solve problems. The adolescents learn to take up various roles and to put forward
arguments in accordance with these roles. Therefore, the players are able to find out which roles do or do not
suit them and which characters or lines of argument do or do not fit their personality. They can thus reflect on
their own personalities and those of the other players. This reflection allows adolescents to identify their
strengths in reasoning and to find new ways of further developing them. They focus on personal and societal
values, define them for themselves, and learn about other people’s values and moral concepts. Furthermore,
the players critically discuss values and think about prevailing moral attitudes. By analysing dilemma situations,
the adolescents learn about possible forms of corruption and misconduct and are made aware of corrupt acts
and misconduct. In fact, they each develop methods to prevent corruption for themselves, and then discuss
them with others. Due to the practice-oriented content of the game, the young people are put in a position to
implement the knowledge gained in their everyday lives and thus improve their general ability to act.
A small group of experts developed the game; it is a game of fun, suspense and action with the focus on values
such as freedom, solidarity, honesty, responsibility, willingness to achieve, and integrity. They found this to be
an interesting method to try and prevent corruption. The game about values is primarily aimed at teenagers
since it is considered that the development of moral concepts is not yet completed in adolescence and can be
positively influenced by discussion and reflection especially at this stage of life.

During a short planning phase the Austrian Federal Bureau of Anti-Corruption (BAK) conceived and then
developed the game. After evaluation and adaptation phases they determined the exact flow and structure of
the game, as described below.
The game is designed for three to seven players, including a game master. It is all about arguing from various
perspectives in different dilemma situations and finding possible ways to act in or react to morally difficult
circumstances.
The game master reads out the first dilemma situation. Each player takes up a certain position or attitude by
putting on one of the pairs of coloured glasses, and will now propose arguments and possible solutions to the
given dilemma situation from their point of view; the set-up is such that it is sure to lead to lively discussions.
The players’ roles vary depending on the colour of glasses they have put on; different colours stand for
different perspectives (This method is derived from Edward de Bono’s “Thinking Hats”).
After four minutes, the game master stops the discussion, the players take their VALUES boards and try and
mark five VALUES appropriate for or addressed in the particular dilemma situation as fast as they can. The
player who has marked five VALUES first rings the table bell; from this moment, the other players must stop
marking VALUES. Then, they discuss the VALUES they marked. Each correct answer will be rewarded with a
“VALUES winning card”. In case a player believes that s/he has marked an important VALUE, which is not
mentioned on the back of the particular situation card, s/he can use their joker. (They had received one joker
each at the beginning of the game.) If they then manage to put forward their arguments in such a clever way
that the majority of the other players agree that their VALUE is also applicable, s/he receives an additional
“VALUES winning card”. The game master is also allowed to vote. Then, they change positions clockwise and
each player takes up a new role for the next round. After a full set of rounds the player with the most “VALUES
winning cards” wins.

What is new about the practice is the innovative method chosen for the subject of values education, a subject
that can be very tiring, especially for young people. Dealing with dilemma situations and values becomes
interesting, even fun through the game. Moreover, the game can be used in adult education as well.
It turned out that a learning method is successful with young people only if they enjoy dealing with the topic,
and perform it or continue performing it on a voluntary basis. The game offers a playful approach to the topic
of corruption; its effects, however, are serious: “fit4compliance – find your VALUES” is a powerful tool for the
prevention of corruption.

The effect of the method is sustainable if people play the game on a regular basis, during game evenings and
other gatherings; this is the recommended use. The dilemma situations proposed by the game encourage
reflection, and its eventual goal is actual change in behavior.

By playing the target group-oriented game „fit4compliance – find your VALUES“, adolescents will, in a playful
way, reflect intensively on and take a critical look at the issue of values. Moreover, the game aims to support
young people in living their lives on the basis of positive values and moral concepts and thus in taking an active
part in shaping society.
The BAK deliberately chose this type of non-electronic game as it ensures a specific sustainability in focusing
on values.

https://www.bak.gv.at/en/Downloads/files/Annual_Reports/AnnualReport_2017_v2.pdf
https://www.bak.gv.at/en/301/Prevention/start.aspx
https://www.bak.gv.at/301/praevention_edukation/gesellschaftsspiel/