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Ask HN: Are there any good poverty simulator games?

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Re: Ask HN: Are there any good poverty simulator games?

#22
There is a game you can play in real life where you withdraw a certain amount of cash (i.e. a minimum wage paycheck after taxes removed) and then try to survive on that for two weeks, only using cash, and subtracting any expenses for subscriptions and rent you use during the two weeks.

To make things more accurate, you could choose to modify your rent expense to reflect the kind of home you’d actually be living in.

If you want to play hard mode, you could also increase the difficulty by simulating illegal immigrant status and get paid even less, maybe half of minimum wage. Almost certainly you will have to choose a cheaper home to survive.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any good poverty simulator games?

#23
post #3

It could be most beneficial to people currently in poverty, to try out strategies for escaping it.

I'm not sure exactly how you're meaning this, but I think there is widespread ignorance around how people whom are poor are simply unable to improve their lot. It's often not about making the right choices and more there not being any choices.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any good poverty simulator games?

#24

>The Affordable Care Act requires you get health insurance. The good news? Your child is covered by the state. The bad? You aren’t. According to benefits.gov you would qualify for medicaid on $1,441/month gross (the wage of the job I selected)

Many don't know the USA has a very large safety net. Medicaid, medicare, social security, SNAP, TANF, SSI, LIHEAP, EITC, rent vouchers, pell grants, job training programs, etc.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any good poverty simulator games?

#27

>The Affordable Care Act requires you get health insurance. The good news? Your child is covered by the state. The bad? You aren’t. According to benefits.gov you would qualify for medicaid on $1,441/month gross (the wage of the job I selected)

Many don't know the USA has a very large safety net. Medicaid, medicare, social security, SNAP, TANF, SSI, LIHEAP, EITC, rent vouchers, pell grants, job training programs, etc.

Yea except it only benefits you if you are way below the poverty level. We need to make sure every one is benefitted so we don’t deincentivize seeking higher paying jobs just to keep basic benefits.

Re: Ask HN: Are there any good poverty simulator games?

#28

>The Affordable Care Act requires you get health insurance. The good news? Your child is covered by the state. The bad? You aren’t. According to benefits.gov you would qualify for medicaid on $1,441/month gross (the wage of the job I selected)

Many don't know the USA has a very large safety net. Medicaid, medicare, social security, SNAP, TANF, SSI, LIHEAP, EITC, rent vouchers, pell grants, job training programs, etc.

It's not convenient to know that when your goal is to smash capitalism.
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