Next time one of your smarmy friends or family members tells you how lazy the poor have it, how they get by with doing nothing and don’t need to get any help from government, challenge them to walk that talk–digitally.
A new video game called “Spent” simulates what it’s like to live, work, and try to make ends meet on a wage of $8 per hour. Players have to pay the bills, take care of kids, handle the unexpected problems that invariably crop up, and make tough decisions while playing the part of a single parent who just lost their job, house, and savings. They have to pick an $8 per hour job and make it work.
The game is the brainchild of 32-year-old Jenny Nicholson, an ad copywriter with Durham, North Carolina-based McKinney. It was originally written to benefit Durham-based Urban Ministries, a non-profit that helps provide food, clothing and shelter to the city’s homeless population.
But lately the game is becoming popular outside its intended venue. People are playing it to learn what it is really like to be poor, and those poor people who play the game start to understand that they aren’t “failures,” they’re just dealing with an impossible situation.
There is a petition calling on members of Congress to play the game.
“Spent” is available online. If you want to try the game yourself, or challenge one of your holier-than-thou associates to try it, here’s the link.
