We cry out for utopias, for powerful presentations of fate

May 31, 2022 12:04 PM

Half-Earth: A Planetary Crisis Planning Game. A companion to the book Half-Earth Socialism, in this game you are in charge of managing the transition to a just, ecologically stable world. Research new technologies, embark on bold new infrastructure and educational projects, and (of course) do so without getting voted out of office. (The "half earth" concept previously.)
posted by Cash4Lead (12 comments total)

Lovely idea, high on my game dev list has been a similar simgame of real world economic issues.

Nothing like in-browser games to reduce friction of getting people to try the product.
posted by Heywood Mogroot III at 12:18 PM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

Very much reminiscent of Fate of the World, and to a lesser extent (Due to less of a focus on card based policies) Balance of the Planet.
posted by Darkest Timeline at 12:54 PM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

Very very very difficult. Which I suppose is the point.
posted by ook at 1:50 PM on May 31, 2022 [2 favorites]

I was able to make “Gossy” happy in 2042, when they popped up a message that said essentially “I can’t believe it, but looking at the numbers, we’ve done it. For the first time in centuries, we can say we are leaving the next generation a better world than we found it.”

And then immediately after that message, another message popped up that said “The Utopianists and I were booted from office in 2042 by an angry mob.”

So it goes.
posted by darkstar at 3:13 PM on May 31, 2022 [6 favorites]

Got it on the second try mostly by incrementally reducing the harmful things and using political capital to have positive innovative changes happen more quickly. Changes in food didn't have much negative effect, nor did regional brownouts. At one point I got my political capital up over 500 and then just pushed through anything that seemed like a good idea, while avoiding any big hits to global contentment. I ignored anything purely designed to make people happy, or push social engineering. As the innovations took hold temps and emissions came down, biodiversity and habitat came back up. Feminist and Indigenous power quickly had a positive effect. I was able to ignore authoritarian and accelerationist ideology equally.
fun.
posted by OHenryPacey at 3:19 PM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

I played it a second time and paid closer attention to citizens’ happiness levels, and found it relatively easy to win.

In contrast to OHenryPacey’s strategy, I researched everyone’s curriculum. Put resources especially into those innovations and advancements that made people happy, unless there was a massive energy or ecological penalty for doing so. Occasionally made a big advance that reduced happiness, but made sure to time it to coincide with other happy-making advances coming online at the same time.

At the end, the world was saved, and only the authoritarians were really dissatisfied. :)
posted by darkstar at 6:23 PM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

I really enjoyed this. It's a nice collection of ideas from different political ideologies and lets you play with the consequences of your choices. It's also refreshing to play a hopeful game about the future, instead of the usual dystopias.

I don't like to think of myself as violently authoritarian but I wish there had been an option to forcefully re-educate the pro-meat terrorists. Games are about wish fulfillment, right?
posted by woofo at 11:47 PM on May 31, 2022 [1 favorite]

Another similar gamification, although primarily IRL, is 2030sdgsgame.com. I've played it at a workshop and it does help to shift your perceptions of just how difficult it is to balance competing interests - and by extension, the urgent need for meaningful collaboration.
posted by domdib at 3:34 AM on June 1, 2022

Woofo — easy to understand how the Bolsheviks rejected Democratic Socialism and went to strongman rule in the 30s via the internal factionalism (but external unity) of the 1920s.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aD3xfT0c99g
posted by Heywood Mogroot III at 7:46 AM on June 1, 2022

I liked that I was able to win while playing my values, by also maximizing Champagne Socialism a bit. I could see that there would also be paths to success playing other values. Very cool!
posted by hydropsyche at 8:08 AM on June 1, 2022

I am enjoying this
posted by latkes at 9:51 PM on June 1, 2022

I have been executed so many times. I'm trying, people.
posted by vverse23 at 3:15 PM on June 2, 2022 [2 favorites]