I found the Millenium Village Simulator incredibly frustrating because it was impossible to win. I have played similar games in the past with other classes, so I assumed I would at least be able to do better than I had before but that was not the case. No matter what I did (or did not) do to keep them alive, Kodjo or Fatou died within the first few rounds of the game. Whether that was through starvation or illness, there was no way to save them with the resources I had available. Even when I spent the money to get them to a doctor, they still died because of the lost work time. With too much idle time, they died from malnutrition or insufficient water, and with too little they got sick. Growing cotton, although beneficial in other games and in theory, always produced a loss and lead to malnutrition. Even when it seemed like everything was going well and I might survive one round, drought or malaria brought sure death for Kodjo and Fatou.
After listening to Dr. Bezio’s podcast, I realized that games such as MVS are designed to be unwinnable so that they replicate the systemic failures in Africa. The actual people who these games are based on experience these same conditions, only in reality and not online. The need to dedicate so much time to water and food collection means that there is little time left for anything else, causing constant economic instability that can lead to worse health outcomes. Without aid or solutions to these systemic issues, they will continue to live on the line in between life and death.
The last paragraph raised for me the question that I think this simulation aims to address: So how do we address systemic failures. While Bezio’s podcast talked about systems that continue to function without interference, what happens in systems that do not have this same longevity, or have even been designed to fail? Can a system be designed or a new system implemented without causing more severe harm to the people within the system?
I really appreciated your last paragraph – I think these simulations are very important in addressing the current cycle of system issues in the world. It is a situation that seems so alien to us, but it sadly becomes a case for communities as they struggle to balance one resource over another whether that is time or health. I also appreciated Sophia’s response as it raises some interesting questions. What is the role of others and other countries in helping a system that is failing?
I struggled with the game and had placed the blame on myself for not following the tutorial (which is still part of the problem), but reading your post I realized that the choices I was making were all life-altering, no matter how small they were, and no matter what choices I made it always seemed like I was making the wrong ones. I am not in a position where those choices are things I encounter on a daily basis, having to choose between my personal health or economic stability, but it is a reality for so many, largely due to structural issues rather than personal ones.
I think the last paragraph addresses the important issue that the inability of real places and villages to survive is due to systematic issues within the larger society that limits their abilities to thrive. It is only by addressing the roots of these systematic issues that individuals and societies will be able to begin to improve the status of many lives.