"Our board game pits players against each other and encourages them to pick on the weakest, kick opponents when they are down and generally manifest all the characteristics that bring success in the financial world. Winner takes all!!" -- The Economist
It's easy to feel pessimistic about the economy right now with CEO payments, job losses, stocks, foreclosures, healthcare costs and I'm sure you get the drift. Well, leave it to the same people who told us "everything was fine" and "the market will work it out" six months ago to come up with a game that makes economic disaster fun.
I'm not kidding. The Economist's deserve a lot of points for their creativity. Just read some of the rules:
"The aim is to be the last solvent player. In order to achieve this, players try to eliminate the competition. Risk cards encourage players to pick on each other. "Players who cannot pay their fines may borrow from each other at any rate they care to settle on—for instance, 100% interest within three turns. They should negotiate with the other players to get the best rate possible. Players who cannot borrow must either go into Chapter 11 or be taken over.
"Players may conceal their assets from each other."
Yup, it's just like the real world. I wish I'd known about their rules a little sooner. Oh well, better late than never and the game really is comical - it may also be an entertaining way to teach kids about finances. There are worse ways to learn.
But if your not fully convinced of the humor in this, I pulled a few of the comments posted:
"Do you win by getting a bail-out?"
"I loved the gameboard, like the Alan Greenspan square: 'upon landing there, move wherever you like while seizing another player's money then set the board on fire then forcibly "date" the player to your right's significant other. "Perhaps I misjudged the ramifications of my actions in a real-world setting."
"I found myself chuckling at many of the spaces on the board (buying Iceland on eBay and too big too fail)."
"Is it a sign of future events - or non-events, as the case may be - that none of the "Risk" Cards contain anything along the line of arrest, indictment, trial, conviction or imprisonment?"
And lucky us - the game is free (socialist welfare). No proof of citizenship, identity, earnings or registration are required. You can download
The Credit Crunch Game, ready to print, from The Economist magazine - and may the most ruthless financial strategist win!
