Armutsimulation

Aim of the evening

Everyone can see why it is not possible for poor people to escape poverty.

Goal of the game:

Buy a house in the part of the city where the quality of life is high. With the wages given below, this goal is not achievable in three hours. Therefore, one should consider in advance whether this goal should be achieved or whether the house will remain a dream forever.

Leaders

Legal employer

You don't get to be nice. You can also take a pay cut for poor quality or call the police

Washing up

Participants must wash and dry mugs. For each cup they washed, they get $0.5.

Fold bags.

The participants have to make bags. They get $1 per bag.

Illegal employer

You must seem very gloomy. If you don't like something, you either get less money or you call the police. You decide what the contestants have to do and how much money they get. If someone complains, then you can do whatever you want to them.

Smuggling drugs

The participants have to bring small packages from a hiding place to the client. There is $20 for a small package. In the process, they have to make sure they don't get caught by the police. If they are, they'll have to spend a month in jail.

Murder on Assignment

The participants have to bring barrier tape, which was hung up on the playground, to the principal. The latter will pay $100 for it.

Hospital

It is needed when there is a pandemic or during a vaccination campaign organized by an aid organization. They can also buy vaccinations (see below for prices). Think about 6 diseases and make cards where it is written against which disease they received a vaccination.

Police

You can come to the police when people have been kidnapped or things have been stolen. However, you are asking for a lot of money. So it is out of the question at all. Also, you check the participants to make sure they aren't doing any illegal work. If they do, they go to jail. There are two ways to get free. First, they serve some time in prison (3 months for a contract killing and 1 month for drugs) or the family buys them free (40 dollars for drugs and 200 dollars for a contract killing)

Mafia Boss (Game Master)

As a mafia boss, you call all the shots. You can raise or cut wages, start vaccination campaigns, or cause pandemics to break out. You can also kidnap people or bribe the police. Since you can't raise or lower wages just like that, you have to come up with a story to go with it, e.g. economic crisis= wage cut. This way you can also control if the participants can buy the house or not. The mafia boss best dress up.

Landlord part-time policeman

You collect the rents every month. If they don't pay, then you can charge more very quickly or just collect 3 rents the next month. Also, you are in the service of the police for fighting crime

Group

Age

At least 10 years old, there is no upper limit.

Size

Minimum 6 people so there are 3 people in both groups. Max .6 people per group. If more than 12 people, just make more groups.

Ladder:

The game has only been played with 2 families so far, one person per role was enough for that. I assume that for three families it needs one legal as well as one illegal employer more. For 4 groups you also need the double of the rest of the leaders. But how it really is, I don't know.

Terrain(example)

Make sure that the poor quarter also looks gloomy and the rich quarter looks better.

Gameplay

The participants earn the money with which they pay the rent. For that they have to do the works. At the end of the month, they have to pay the rent and they have to do it at their houses

Roles

The participants get their role drawn at the beginning. There is also a number on each card so everyone knows which team they are on. People:

Mother

Father

Daughter 15-year-old

Son 15-year-old

Grandma 70-year-old

Grandpa 70-years-old

Time

10 minutes is a month. That means every 5 minutes the landlord comes.

2 h = 1 year

Prices

$100 rent

50 dollars plus if rent could not be paid

40 dollar fine for illegal work or 3 months in jail

$10 for a vaccination against whichever disease is least bad. Then upwards in increments of 10.

10 dollars for the disease which is least bad. Then up in increments of 10.

1500 dollars for a house in the rich district.

Wage

Legal labor

Per bag $1

Per cup $0.5

Illegal work

Drug smuggling = $20

Commissioned murder = $100

Material for two groups

Money

15X 100 dollar bills

40X 20 dollar bills

40X 10 dollar bills

General

Mugs

White paper

Adhesive strips

Note with diseases

Pen barrier tape

Drug packets

Roll card with number

If possible police uniforms coat and sunglasses

Experience

We played the game on a Friday night between 19:00 and 22:00. Eating was done during the game. We realized after about 2 hours that no group had any money on the site yet. So we doubled the pay and in the end both families could buy a house. The game can of course be extended, e.g. with schooling, more complex health system etc.