Ayiti: The Cost of Life
by Vladimir Cole 
{ Jan 16th 2007 at 4:15AM }
Ayiti: The Cost of Life is a simple, web-based strategy game built by NYC-based developers gameLab and students from Brooklyn's South Shore High School. The game's purpose is to teach about poverty in developing nations, but don't let the game's educational mission deter you from giving it a shot.
It's not easy. In eight attempts to win with the "Money" strategy, we lost eight times (Cholera being the leading cause of death in the game). If you find a strategy that keeps your family from crapping themselves to death, do share, because the game's not at all easy.
Then again, maybe the point is that you're not supposed to be able to win this one.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
AlexH @ Jan 16th 2007 5:02AM
You don't win. You just do a little better each time.
alexanderwales @ Jan 16th 2007 5:08AM
Yes, there is a strategy. No, the point of the game is not to "win". The point is that there isn't an easy solution for those people who have no money. Now then, the strategy:
Always fill the volunteer slots when you can, because they give you access to the NGO bonuses. They also let the mother get the secretary job. Buy shoes, books, toys, and radio right away. Never bother with school until you have yourself well established (and the good (expensive) schools are available). It's possible to end the game at year four with a dozen diplomas and a couple thousand dollars with all the good stuff (except computer and new house) bought. Those last two are effectively impossible to get, but again, that's sort of the point.
The reason that the game ends after four years is that it would otherwise be possible to pull yourself out of debt and give everyone the good life - which is not a message that Unicef and the like want to send. Also, the "winning" strategy involves a lot of help from the NGOs, i.e. the people who funded this game.
marco @ Jan 16th 2007 5:19AM
So, the point is to show that hard work doesn't pay off, but that you should rely on help. Hardly a point that unicef would like to make, even if it is so much true for the third world. Now i'm aware that this game won't be played in africa, and it's meant to make the western world feel pitiful into giving away cash, but this sort of reminds me of that proverb "give a man fish, he'll eat for a day, give a man a rod and he'll eat the rest of his life"
bluexy @ Jan 16th 2007 5:19AM
Buy the indoor plumbing feature as fast as you can if you're having problems with cholera.
Or maybe you're just getting too much fiber...
Franklin @ Jan 16th 2007 6:26AM
You died of dysentery. :(
Chocolate Starfish @ Jan 16th 2007 9:59AM
The UN is impotent.
Eddy @ Jan 16th 2007 10:05AM
why this game is called "AYITI"?
That's all I need to know.
Zed @ Jan 16th 2007 12:52PM
why this game is called "AYITI"?
It means "Haiti" in Haitian Creole.
Blackmanfu @ Jan 16th 2007 3:37PM
Reminds me of The Oregon Trail, anyone remember that game, back in the good old days?
"You died of Cholera." Ah, good times, good times.
J Empire @ Jan 16th 2007 1:53PM
You might notice that when the family members work it is set to "Take it easy" by default. They earn more if you set it to "Work Hard".
I got a decent result. Father and sons educated, everything up to plumbing bought. No NGO help. Take that, UNICEF!
Tyrus @ Jan 16th 2007 3:33PM
I found that improving living conditions to good as soon as possible made health problems far less of an issue, and getting an education helped everyone get jobs where they wouldn't become ill/injured. Now where's the "good living" button for real life?
Barry Joseph @ Jan 17th 2007 10:51PM
Thanks Joystiq for sending people to our game. A few things that might be of interest:
1) UNICEF had little role in developing the game. They simply helped us to vet the content to make sure we didn't say anything stupid and, quite importantly, act as our first host. They paid nothing towards its funding.
2) Microsoft paid for the after school program and the funds to develop the game. Have fun with that one.
3) The content was created by a Haiti expert at Columbia University, our high school students, and the fine folks at Gamelab.
4) This is the first game from our Playing 4 Keeps program. To learn more about it please go to: http://www.holymeatballs.org/p4k.htm
5) This year the teens are building their next game in Teen Second Life, so they can do the coding themselves. However, we DESPERATELY need Second Life-capable computers for them to work on. Would you like a nice tax-write off? Please consider donating a machine to us at info@globalkids.org If you do, we promise not to give you dysentery.
Barry Joseph
Online Leadership Director
Global Kids