Moneyville: Get Real
From Eduwiki
Get Real
Get Realis an online game that deals with making it in the world after school (High school or University). The splash screen asks the user to imagine he/she is living on their own for the first time. The user begins with an apartment and a job. The question the game expects the user/student to answer is: what choices will you make?
The game is not visually realistic or uses 3D graphics. It has an illustrative / vector (Flash) quality to it. The graphics are cartoonish; a style elementary students would enjoy.
To begin, the user...
- 1) picks a character or creates one
- 2) Decides how to spend his/her money each month
- 3) The player tries to make it through an entire year, meeting the predetermined goals and have at least $2000 in the savings account
Game Strategies
Try #1
My first try ended abruptly. I played the game for about 20 minutes, but stopped until the next day. When I returned, a few moments after I started playing again, the browser quit on me. I had to start all over. No "Save" option with this game!
NOTE: "save" command can be used as part of the user's strategy.
Try #2
So back to the drawing board...
I decided to duplicate my previous set-up. I chose to create a character instead of using one of the pre-made characters. The character has 5 life topics that the player has to decide on:
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I decided to reflect my own persona in my character:
- Education: Graduate or professional degree. I have a 400/month student loan to pay off.
- Goals: Save $2000 as a "safety net" (mandatory); Get a promotion; Spend time with family and friends; Volunteer with a community group; Enjoy music and help my family
- Occupation: teacher; I'll be making $2500/month
- Housing: I'll be sharing an apartment with roommates for $300/month.
- Transportation: I decided to take Public transportation and / or ride my bike. It will cost me $60/month. I felt this was the most prudent since i still have student loans to make and don't know what's to come.
I played Get Real until the end, for one full year and won. It wasn't all that difficult to play; a lot more simple than FreeCiv.
I chose the following strategy: I began with:
- Rent: 300
- living expenses: 500
- Transportation: 60/month
- loans: 400
- TOTAL: 1260
- Savings: 760
- Gross pay: 2500
- tx: 480
- net pay: 2,020.00
| Jan | Listened to phone message: parents asked for help to paint their house, but in doing so, gave up 200$
Read email: Favorite band in town, 50$. Decided not to go. Watch TV. Stereo went on sale, for 1000$. Decided not to buy it. Too expensive I still have a loan to pay. CONSEQUENCE: Later, going to next month, a window informed me that the band only played for 1/2 an hour. GOOD CHOICE!!! Parents house looks great. they appreciate my help. |
| Feb. | *Savings account: 1520
Backed friends car in hydrant. Repair bill: 1000 Paid it!! Credit Coach for sports team; extra 300$, which will go to paying off credit bill check calendar: Need to spend extra time at work to finish important project, but means I'll be missing a weekend trip with friends. Chose: work and get the promotion (hopefully it will increase my salary so that I can pay off loan and credit card debt) |
| March | (Interesting...got my pay check. my pay is the same as last month, before the promotion. Expenses are the same too, 1260)
- Email: -- Friends invites me to weekend getaway, costs 200. Declined. too expensive. -- DVD of TV show, cost 100. Declined. Too expensive -TV: -- Cell phone with all new features, costs 150. Declined; don't think i need one. The one i have works |
| April | *Total expenses: 1260
Need new clothes for work, cost 300 used cash.
-calendar: Trip with friend, cost 400 Declined, too expensive, although my credit card debt is payed up, i only have 2000 in the bank. I would save up a bit more to take a trip -TV: -- Coat went on sale, cost 300$; declined. I don't feel i need a coat that costs 300 |
| May | *expenses: SAME
Broke cd player; repair bill: 100; cash
Need ECU to keep Teaching certificate, cost: 1000 CASH EMAIL: -- computer game, cost 50$; declined. I don't really play computer games all that much |
| June | *Total expense: same
phone: Opportunity to join soccer team, cost 200 for uniform and shows; joined; need exercise. Cash Calender: Tent for backpacking trip next weekend. Declined. just joined a soccer team Phone: friends want to go out to eat and visit a new night club, cost 50$; accepted. Not that expensive and I want to spend time with friends. Cash Met goal: Spend time with family & friends |
| July | *expenses: SAME
Email: -Needed a new computer, cost: 1500 credit - Friend gave me fish, need to buy aquarium and other supplies, cost 200; DECLINED. I don't care for fish |
| August | *expense: same
bought mom a gift: 100; cash
Won Teacher of the year award: 1000
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| September |
Email: Promotion; longer hours at work; Accepted (Already met my goal of spending time with family and friends and helping my family) Phone: Puppy for sale: 200. declined. Too much responsibility Phone: work extra hours (+300) or spend time with friends; chose Work
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| October | *expenses: SAME
Calendar: Environmental group wants my help for concert. This would be a good opportunity to enjoy some music and volunteer with a community group; kill 2 birds with one stone. And since I payed off my CC debt, I'll have a little fun. Accept [The game did not count this as enjoying music] Email: Concert, cost $30; the price is not that expensive; Accept
Calendar: Wedding, cost $600 There can only be one wedding and hate to disappoint my friend; accept ; cash
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| November | *expenses: SAME
Computer dies, repair cost: $500
Email: Big screen TV, cost: 1000, Declined "Get some cool new sunglasses?" cost $60. Declined; had to spend 500 on a fixing my computer |
| December | *expenses: SAME
Broke a tooth, Dentist's bill: $400, cash
Email: sister need help buying school books, cost 300 She's family.
Charity, cost: 100. Accepted. Always give tithe I won!!! I met all my goals. I hat at least 2000 in saving account at the end of the game. |
My main strategy was simple. I did not live beyond my means. I did not use credit all that much. I used credit for big ticket items and made sure I paid at least 1/2 off when I had to pay off the monthly credit card payment. I may have sacrificed some of the things I wanted, but in the long run I was able to meet all of my goals. The one major issue that irked me is that although I got a few promotions, I did not get a pay raise; it was the same though out the year.
Educational Implications
This game would be very helpful to students in the elementary or middle school years. The graphics are fun and it introduces them to a way of thinking that they are not used to. It introduces them to the realities of the economic side of life. Two principles it introduces are the concepts of a savings account and debt. Although high school students could use it, i would make it more realistic and create more complicated decision trees.
David Feldman
I tried playing Moneyville and found it to be a pretty easy game. I played several times. When playing I tried to play characters that were as close to who I am as possible. I was a character who was a teacher with a one bedroom apartment and a small car. My goals are modest, I wanted to enjoy music and spend time with my family. The first time I played I was easily able to pay off my credit card debt yet could not achieve my other two goals of spending time with my family and enjoying music. The second time I played I was able to achieve my goals for family and music but could not save up enough to have $2000 in the bank.
The third time I played I made my lifestyle more modest by sharing my apartment and taking public transport. This made the game much easier and I was able to achieve my lifestyle goals and save $2000 in the bank. Since I conquered my character the fourth time I then decided to play as a lawyer with a one bedroom apartment and a car. (I live modestly) I guess lawyers have to take $3000 courses and this killed me every time. I met all my goals for free time like getting pets and spending time with family yet did not come close to saving up $2000. Those $3000 courses for keeping up with my career zonked me. The game is clearly biased in favor of video game designers. After several times of playing the game and feeling as if I could I easily conquer this game if I chose I played as a video game designer and that was very easy. I met all goals on the first try. I guess designing video games is a charmed life. Lastly I played as an artist and purposely made a bunch of irresponsible decisions I would think an actual artist would make. I lost quickly. This is what I get for stereotyping people. My strategy was always do the right thing. Work extra hours if I needed the dough and volunteer at community centers and help out parents and friends when I did have cash. Other words behave way more rationally than I do in real life. That is the goal to being successful. Don’t behave like David Feldman and then you will succeed.
