Green New Deal Simulator 9+

First game was about learning the ropes, even though I thought I had won on the very last turn. I wasn’t able to win the subsequent games even though I came very close. I thought that might be part of the message, that winning isn’t guaranteed and even if you do, it will be very, very close. But that’s not the case.

You really need to think about geographical differences and limitations and build around them, as well as how to maximize certain cards when they are most useful. Electrification Program has diminishing returns after each region gets it once or twice, and you’ll need to use a combination of other cards to eliminate the last bits of natural gas and heating (red) in some regions. some regions will not be major energy producers and will be more dependent on the surplus produced by other regions. Public Transportation is good in urban regions, but rural ones will benefit much more from Electric Vehicle infrastructure. Some regions are more at risk for high unemployment because of their ties to fossil fuel industries. The game encourages you to see how all the pieces fit together to keep development going smoothly without to many region conflicts.

Very fun, I can now win consistently with a decent amount of time left. Still haven’t done a play through pursuing nuclear fusion tech tho to see if it’s even viable…

I learned more about potential approaches to combatting climate change and the contents of the green new deal legislation from this game than anywhere else on the internet or news. It’s also a genuinely a fun and addictive game. Overall another brilliant use of fun app games as a medium for engaging with complex topics by molleindustria. Huge fan.

I’m usually not one to write reviews or even care about the contents of a game. This however is really kind of gross. I understand that not everyone is going to have the same ideas and genuinely appreciate that we have different ideas and views. This “game” is so steeped in our modern political nonsense though. Even the name “green new deal” is directly coming from modern politics. This isn’t normally something I’d have an issue with but I wonder how many kids will/have played this game and they have no context on the climate discussion. This is a nuanced discussion and yet the game treats it as if it’s clear cut. I don’t know, that just doesn’t sit right with me. I would find it odd if the proverbial shoe was on the other foot and the game had the opposite political biases too. I genuinely think this game needs some kind of disclaimer because unfortunately there are going to be some young kids that are trying to formulate their own ideas and this game almost seems designed to influence them. At least if the game had a disclaimer that acknowledged it’s own biases and severe lack of nuance children might just be able to have fun with the game without being influenced by misinformation.