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Most Boring Game Ever? Government Turns to Microsoft To Balance Budget

News

by Matthew Kato on April 14, 2010 at 02:53 PM

7,128 Views

131

Most of us play video games to get away from the troubles of real life, but some in the government want to use games to convey the mind-numbing complexity of governance. Erskine Bowles, co-chairman of President Obama's finance commission has asked Microsoft head Steve Ballmer to look into making a game based on balancing the budget.

The thing is, Bowles isn't trying to discover creative ways to actually balance the budget. He wants to use it as a tool to educate the public and show them that tough choices will have to be made along the way. So, instead of solving the problem, this seems like an exercise in lowering the bar of expectation to the point where the public won't expect success. Strange.

Who knows what will happen with this, but if left up to gamers, we can handle a balancing the budget game. Decisions of life or death? We've learned how to make the tough choices in plenty of games. How to conserve resources? We always have something stored away for later. How to survive against tremendous odds? We've saved the universe. Saving a few trillion dollars shouldn't be a big deal.

Email the author Matthew Kato, or follow on Twitter, and Game Informer.

Filed under: News, Microsoft, Steve Ballmer

Comments

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by metsfan417 Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:02 PM

WOW............. nuff said
by Thisismynameanddontmakefunofit Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:03 PM

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaahhahahahahahhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
by Tranzice Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:04 PM

um...great, let us now bring politics into our games. I mean, c'mon...they have been brainwashing kids in schools with a marxist agenda for years, and now we will be involving more agenda based material into the media. Big government is a nuisance, and now they are sticking their heads into our escape zones? Can we all just agree to boycott anything based on [actual] politics and keep our games clean?
by Him Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:05 PM

People play games to relieve themselves from the stress of the day (well, I do). How will buying a game learning to budget yourself get us interested in working with the game. Why would we buy it when we can buy any other game out there? The guy who requested this to Microsoft obviously doesn't understand the concept of video games.
by eyros2k Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:07 PM

This means nothing. Skip.
by halofan2916 Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:07 PM

Please tell me this is a joke.Yet another way to indoctrinate the young people of the country.
by TARG Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:09 PM

Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesss! Words cannot describe how excited I am for this! Does anybody know how long I've been waiting for a game where I get to balance a freaking budget! Yes! Yes! Yes! The wait is over my friends! The wait is finally over!
by bradyk Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:09 PM

Really? Our government's a joke... Ron Paul 2013!!!
by Cow For Cow Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:11 PM

our tax dollars at work baby!
by Adam Santini Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:11 PM

In the game, if we give money to failed businesses does the economy continue to suck? If not, it's not realistic, and I don't want to play it.

Unless, of course, there is hot coffee mini game involving secretaries...
by Tanooki Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:12 PM

Attack the deficit's weak point for massive damage!
by gamergirl89 Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:14 PM

Obama is becoming facist if you ask me. I can give you some advice STOP SPENDING AND CUT TAXES!! Plus go after the 49% of Americans that DON'T pay taxes! This guy is an unamerican socialist that needs to go to Europe

@ Tranzice

I completetly agree with you

Protest on Tax Day April 15
by sealsaa Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:14 PM

*Looks at the comments section*

Cue the loons and conspiracy theorist
by logan083 Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:15 PM

if u manage to balance it do u win a prize??
by Gobzer Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:21 PM

Hey, throw a cool RTS skin over it and you got yourself a game
by Ness Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:22 PM

wow...seriouly its come to this..?
by Hobbeser Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:23 PM

HA HA wow...
by Ghostpig Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:23 PM

So it's a Wall Street Kid remake?
by Clever Doug Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:25 PM

There is already a game out there that does this! It's called Sim City
by Kevin Maskornick Wednesday, April 14, 2010 at 04:26 PM

"A billion here, a billion there, and pretty soon you're talking about real money."

-Everett M. Dirksen