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Microsoft may make budget-balancing game for US government

marduc

marduc

don't panic
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Bipartisan commission has reportedly contacted Steve Ballmer about making a game that could let any US citizen suggest ways to deflate ballooning national debt.
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http://www.gamespot.com/news/6258115.html?tag=latestheadlines%3Btitle%3B5

Interesting, lets get an army of gamers to work on testing out ideas to reducing our deficit. On the plus side I can see this potentially getting people involved who would otherwise be apathetic to it, but I can also see the game coming under a lot of heat when peoples methodologies fail to provide the expected results.

How do you design such a game and model all the variables involved accurately? Also how do you remove potential bias surrounding the game and give it credibility? whether inadvertently biased because of in game handling of variables, or even just confirmation bias when peoples ideals do not yield the intended or expected results. Even if the game came up with the holy grail of deficit busting, I could see this generating a TON of controversy, and would question whether such a solution were it to be found would actually get implemented.

Welcome to the future.. governance by video game here we come!
 
It's not a terrible idea.

But I can guarantee that even if good ideas surface through the game, they'll be rejected because "they came from a game." WASPy politicians dont mix well with the video game generation.
 
Hoplite said:
It's not a terrible idea.

But I can guarantee that even if good ideas surface through the game, they'll be rejected because "they came from a game." WASPy politicians dont mix well with the video game generation.
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Those rejections will probably be valid. Can you really make an accurate simulation of such a large economy? Not to mention the "game" will probably ignore social or political implications of program cuts. Want to fix the budget? Disband the US military! Problem solved!
 
reefedjib said:
You really think that will do it? Ridiculous.
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We'd be running at a surplus I believe. And no, it wasn't a serious suggestion. I really shouldn't have to explain these things...
 
Deuce said:
We'd be running at a surplus I believe. And no, it wasn't a serious suggestion. I really shouldn't have to explain these things...
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Deficit $1.4 trillion, Defense $650 billion
 
Deuce said:
Those rejections will probably be valid. Can you really make an accurate simulation of such a large economy? Not to mention the "game" will probably ignore social or political implications of program cuts. Want to fix the budget? Disband the US military! Problem solved!
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I dont think you can speculate about something you havent even SEEN yet
 
reefedjib said:
Deficit $1.4 trillion, Defense $650 billion
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The DOD budget is not the only military-related expense, and it doesn't account for the majority of spending on the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.
 
marduc said:
Microsoft may make budget-balancing game for US government - News at GameSpot

Interesting, lets get an army of gamers to work on testing out ideas to reducing our deficit. On the plus side I can see this potentially getting people involved who would otherwise be apathetic to it, but I can also see the game coming under a lot of heat when peoples methodologies fail to provide the expected results.

How do you design such a game and model all the variables involved accurately? Also how do you remove potential bias surrounding the game and give it credibility? whether inadvertently biased because of in game handling of variables, or even just confirmation bias when peoples ideals do not yield the intended or expected results. Even if the game came up with the holy grail of deficit busting, I could see this generating a TON of controversy, and would question whether such a solution were it to be found would actually get implemented.

Welcome to the future.. governance by video game here we come!
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Interesting, but I cannot help but become cynical when I think of the army of gamers in charge of methodologies to balance the budget.

"Hey, noobz....lawl!"...and some other language that would probably give me a few points from moderators.....
 
Fiddytree said:
Interesting, but I cannot help but become cynical when I think of the army of gamers in charge of methodologies to balance the budget.

"Hey, noobz....lawl!"...and some other language that would probably give me a few points from moderators.....
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Contrary to popular belief, gamers can be a very innovative and creative group.
 
The only difference between a software engineer hired by Microsoft, for example, and a software engineer self-employed working on OpenSource is that the latter is looking to learn a method and then become creative, while the latter is becoming creative and then looking for a method.

The Opensource, CopyLeft, and other "amateur" software communities are actually one of the most valuable resource we have.
 
Hoplite said:
Contrary to popular belief, gamers can be a very innovative and creative group.
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Being surrounded by them my entire life, more so than most people, I have yet to be impressed.
 
reefedjib said:
Deficit $1.4 trillion, Defense $650 billion
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But, but, but...... then we would have another $650 billion to spend on social programs.
 
When they can make a computer model that can accurately predict the weather out 3 days, I might have a bit more faith in this idea.

(note: the key word here is accurately, not kinda accurate, not close to accurate.)
 
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My opinion on the whole budget game thing--

Won't do much good, because a game, unlike politics, requires rules and fairness.
 
Hoplite said:
Then I submit you arent looking far enough
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While I believe they are creative people in the sphere of designing fictional fantasies, they are typically awful at depicting real-world scenarios, partially because gamers are reluctant to want to incorporate realism and instead favor of pseudo-realism...realism that molds well to their nihilism, but not to which responds accurately to human history or technological history. Part of the problem is perceived entertainment value versus accuracy. To exaggerate a great deal more, Idiocracy versus a historical seminar on warfare in the 19th century.

Back to the original subject, however, it provides some possibilities, perhaps to some limited extent to budget-balancing, but I withhold faith that the social sciences are truly capable of puncturing immensely complicated social and public policy problems.
 
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A fictional game with a fictional possibility. :lamo
 
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