U.S. government asks Steve Ballmer to create budget-balancing game

[Tristicus]

Erskine Bowles, co-chair of President Obama's fiscal commission, is turning to games to educate the public about the difficulty of reducing the U.S. budget deficit. Specifically, he's turning to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, USA Today reports.

Bowles has reportedly been communicating with Ballmer about creating a video game that allows anyone to attempt to balance the budget. Bob Kerrey, co-chair of 1994's Bipartisan Commission on Entitlement and Tax Reform, spoke of the need to gain the public's understanding: "What you could get is support among the populace for the exceptionally unpopular things you need to do to solve this problem," adding that a budget-balancing game could "go viral ," though it would be hard to imagine anything created by Microsoft and distributed by the U.S. government as "viral."

As bizarre an idea as this seems, Bowles is not the first to try it. in 1989 the National Economic Commission distributed Hard Choices on floppies for $20 a copy (which in itself might have helped). Kerrey's own 1994 commission also released a game with the thrilling title Budget Shadows.

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/14/u-s-government-asks-steve-ballmer-to-create-budget-balancing-ga/

So do we get to balance the budget when some normal person does it better than the "elites" in Washington?

 

[StageLeft]

I already saw this game last year on some news website for california, it let you balance it by increasing taxes, reducing spending, etc.

And, yep, it is hard, just like if you make $3k/month, have a $2300 mortgage, student loans for $300, alimony for $400, day care expenses for $600, and a car payment for $350, among other things. There is nothing easy or fun to cut.

 

[Carmen813]

I already saw this game last year on some news website for california, it let you balance it by increasing taxes, reducing spending, etc.

And, yep, it is hard, just like if you make $3k/month, have a $2300 mortgage, student loans for $300, alimony for $400, day care expenses for $600, and a car payment for $350, among other things. There is nothing easy or fun to cut.

Uhh...those number seem inflated to me...with the exception of the salary. A balance the budget game would be fun.

 

[nonlnear]

I wonder if it's going to be premised on how to most effectively patch and bail out the Titanic, or if it's going to actually allow meaningful restructuring...

Balancing the budget is not hard if you change your assumptions about the role of government in society. The premise of any game coming from such a collaboration is bound to be that government has to do basically what it always has done, but you get to fiddle with the precise levels of doing exactly what it always has done. By giving people the false impression that they can change the way government operates (in the small ways that it gives the player freedom), it actually reinforces the idea that government can not change. That's the design goal that will never be stated publicly. Actually they did state it publicly if you read this sentence with the appropriate BS-piercing lens:

"What you could get is support among the populace for the exceptionally unpopular things you need to do to solve this problem,"

 

[Saga]

If you're making 3k a month why the fuck would you have a 2300 mortgage?

Bullshit like that explains why someone making 70k a year with a 15% debt to income can't even get approved for a 150k home loan anymore. Fucks ruined it for everyone.

 

[Moonbeam]

I wonder if it's going to be premised on how to most effectively patch and bail out the Titanic, or if it's going to actually allow meaningful restructuring...

Balancing the budget is not hard if you change your assumptions about the role of government in society. The premise of any game coming from such a collaboration is bound to be that government has to do basically what it always has done, but you get to fiddle with the precise levels of doing exactly what it always has done. By giving people the false impression that they can change the way government operates (in the small ways that it gives the player freedom), it actually reinforces the idea that government can not change. That's the design goal that will never be stated publicly. Actually they did state it publicly if you read this sentence with the appropriate BS-piercing lens:

I wonder if designing the game you want wouldn't be about as hard to do as the actual thing.

 

[StageLeft]

Uhh...those number seem inflated to me...with the exception of the salary. A balance the budget game would be fun.

Inflated? I made them up in my head.

If you're making 3k a month why the fuck would you have a 2300 mortgage?

Bullshit like that explains why someone making 70k a year with a 15% debt to income can't even get approved for a 150k home loan anymore. Fucks ruined it for everyone.

wth, I made the figures up, really two of you read that and didn't realize that?

 

[rudder]

The Republican congress was able to do it while Clinton was president.

 

[rudder]

I already saw this game last year on some news website for california, it let you balance it by increasing taxes, reducing spending, etc.

And, yep, it is hard, just like if you make $3k/month, have a $2300 mortgage, student loans for $300, alimony for $400, day care expenses for $600, and a car payment for $350, among other things. There is nothing easy or fun to cut.

Sell the house. Don't buy one unless you can afford a 15 year note with 20% down and at 3K a month your payment is no more than $750 a month. Sell the car and buy a beater for cash. You are paying more than 10% of your pay for a depreciating asset (not you but your example).

So far I have led you to a $1900 per month savings and a little more breathing room.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

If you're making 3k a month why the fuck would you have a 2300 mortgage?

People think they "deserve" whatever they want, regardless of whether they can actually pay for it or not.

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Inflated? I made them up in my head.wth, I made the figures up, really two of you read that and didn't realize that?

Yeah, you made the numbers up but sadly, I'd wager many people have similar financial numbers.

 

[halik]

Sell the house. Don't buy one unless you can afford a 15 year note with 20% down and at 3K a month your payment is no more than $750 a month. Sell the car and buy a beater for cash. You are paying more than 10% of your pay for a depreciating asset (not you but your example).

So far I have led you to a $1900 per month savings and a little more breathing room.

This. You obviously can't afford the car or the house.

I've never bought a new car in my life and I make more than enough to be able to afford one. Just don't like losing 10-20K in depreciation

Even if the monthly payment fits into your budget, it doesn't mean it's a good idea.

 

[lothar]

I already saw this game last year on some news website for california, it let you balance it by increasing taxes, reducing spending, etc.

And, yep, it is hard, just like if you make $3k/month, have a $2300 mortgage, student loans for $300, alimony for $400, day care expenses for $600, and a car payment for $350, among other things. There is nothing easy or fun to cut.

WTF?
I played that game last year and generated a surplus.

What was so hard about that?

 

[CPA]

I already saw this game last year on some news website for california, it let you balance it by increasing taxes, reducing spending, etc.

And, yep, it is hard, just like if you make $3k/month, have a $2300 mortgage, student loans for $300, alimony for $400, day care expenses for $600, and a car payment for $350, among other things. There is nothing easy or fun to cut.

Did that California Budget game allow you to deport all of the illegal aliens sucking on the teets of California taxpayers?

 

[Hacp]

WTF?
I played that game last year and generated a surplus.

What was so hard about that?

I made a surplus too without borrowing anything.

 

[nonlnear]

I wonder if designing the game you want wouldn't be about as hard to do as the actual thing.

I don't remember saying that I actually wanted a game. I'm not a fan of mind control tactics. But you are right, transforming government to my ideal vision would be easier than child's play.

 

[ProfJohn]

I think this would back fire on the government.

Most people are going to cut social spending and perhaps some defense spending and produce a balanced budget that way.

I am sure the liberals coming up with this idea think people will decide to increase taxes rather than cut government programs. But most of the people who benefit from those welfare programs aren't even going to know the 'game' exists.

 

[Balt]

Most people could come up with a theoretical balanced budget if they had even a moderate level of intelligence, I think.

Very few (if any) could probably convince Congress to pass it, though.

 

[ProfJohn]

I think this would back fire on the government.

Most people are going to cut social spending and perhaps some defense spending and produce a balanced budget that way.

I am sure the liberals coming up with this idea think people will decide to increase taxes rather than cut government programs. But most of the people who benefit from those welfare programs aren't even going to know the 'game' exists.

 

[StageLeft]

WTF?
I played that game last year and generated a surplus.

What was so hard about that?

Implementing it.

 

[Ancalagon44]

All you need to do is drag the Corruption and Lobbying sliders all to the way to the left and it magically balances.

 

[Tristicus]

I already saw this game last year on some news website for california, it let you balance it by increasing taxes, reducing spending, etc.

And, yep, it is hard, just like if you make $3k/month, have a $2300 mortgage, student loans for $300, alimony for $400, day care expenses for $600, and a car payment for $350, among other things. There is nothing easy or fun to cut.

Took my 10 minutes or so..meh. (Links on game don't seem to work). Got the budget to about +$500,000,000

 

[MovingTarget]

I can see how this goes. It would be a very difficult game.

You have raised taxes and lost reelection. Game over.
You have cut too many benefits from Social Security and lost reelection. Game over.
You have cut the military budget too far, causing Boeing to massively increase lobbying against you. You lost reelection. Game over.;
You got caught in an accounting/lobbying scandal and are now in prison. Game over.

See how this works? The budget never gets balanced and you don't stay in office. You lose the game.

 

[dguy6789]

Just play Sim City. No matter what you do, some group of people will be pissed, just like real life.

 

[silverpig]

Just play Sim City. No matter what you do, some group of people will be pissed, just like real life.

Except in SimCity you could always summon a tornado or a godzilla monster to take care of them.