I was pretty frustrated by this game. The tutorial link wasn’t working so I decided to just start the game by experimenting with my options. Considering the economics of surviving in an African village in a computer game is not something I ever thought I would do, but it turned out to be very difficult, at least for me. I did not know how to decide how to allocate time and resources in order to benefit Kadjo and Fatou and the rest of the village. I wasn’t sure how to make decisions because I didn’t know what to prioritize in my actions. However, this game did give me a better understanding of the difficulties of creating a prospering village. Considering health, disease, farming/agriculture, infrastructure, business investments, water and more made me think about realities facing such villages. As the family grows and resources become scarce, decisions get more and more difficult. I think the point of this simulation isn’t to “win” and get points, but to gain a deeper understanding for survival in societies that we are not typically exposed to. This isn’t just a computer game, it is reality for people around the world that we often don’t give a second thought about.
I also was interested in Dr. Bezio’s comparison of systemic systems and the nervous system. I think this was a good illustration for people who don’t necessarily know what people mean when they talk about systemic issues such as the -isms we are so familiar with. Systemic issues intersect with nearly every single factor in society. This complexity makes understanding these issues very difficult and finding solutions nearly impossible.
Considering I did not even know there was a tutorial to begin with, no wonder I did so poorly. Making the link between the “fake” simulation and how it is reality for people around the world is powerful. I failed miserably, multiple times, which puts into perspective the challenges people face. There is no reset option in the real-world, you only have one life.
I really liked your point about how the objective of the game isn’t to win, but rather to gain a better understanding of the situation. I definitely went in under the impression that this was nothing more than a game, but it’s important to realize that this is real life for some people. Not everyone is winning no, however, things can be done to make that a possibility.
I encountered the same problems and frustrations as I played the village simulator game. Due to my lack of knowledge and guidance about life in a subsaharan African village, it was difficult ti=o contextualize this simulator and understand which resources to prioritize. Like you said, the point of this simulation is not to win, but rather to understand the difficulties and sacrifices made by millions of people–we are all attending college, while the people in the simulation were teenagers who had to abandon school to provide for the family.
I think that this issue of not knowing how to best run the village helps to drive the point that no matter how much you know or how much you think you know, predicting how to allocate resources to allow a society to thrive is an incredibly difficult endeavor. Additionally, this unsureness also highlights the impact that one small change, such as just the matter of how a few hours are allocated, can have drastic impacts on a society and its ability to survive.
The nervous system helped me to get a better understanding with an example instead of having the general idea. And I was also frustrated during the game as I kept overthinking and it took me a while to figure out what I was doing as I did not know there was a tutorial.