The Balance

We live in a world with virtually infinite problems and yet there are possible solutions. This world however, has finite resources that have to be juggled to solve these infinite problems. Successfully tackling and solving one problem can easily be done in an idealistic world where only that problem exists. The idea behind “BALANCE” is that all problems and solution are interlinked. Implementing a solution to tackle one individual problem may cause another to rise, and the balancing act is to maintain a stable society with limited resources.

The inspiration of “BALANCE” is from the pale blue dot – it illustrates the concept that we are bound in a small world where leaving is impossible. As a little child I believed that all the problems in the world could be solved easily – all the government had to do was what people in the streets were shouting out. South Africa is always in a state of some sort of social upheaval, with citizens demanding that the government must work miracles and solve their problems. To them the total scope of the problem extends only far enough to encapsulate their needs. Balance puts a person in the shoes of the policy maker and opens their eyes to the broader picture.

By targeting youth as the main gamers I hope to show then, the scope of the balancing act governments do, and reveal how problems in society are interlinked. By changing mind sets of individuals to see something such as education, not as a burden, but a way to alleviate the rising crime rate, South Africa can be set on a path towards stability.

Although the problems we face are too many to list, they can be grouped in four broad branches: crime, health care, food availability and unemployment. The government has several way of addressing each of these and the key ways are education, resource production and resource usage. These are interlinked as shown below:

KEY

BLUE – improves

RED – worsens

GREEN – reduces

BLACK – interdependent

The player is tasked with managing the resources that the community makes. As the population grows, managing and balancing resources becomes more complicated and failure to balance the community will result in the game ending, either in economic collapse or in social strife. The game is in nature a MMORG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) using mobile platforms and social network sites, such as Facebook to allow the nature of the inter-dependency between communities to be shown. Resource trading, borrowing and sanctions can be emulated in this way.

MAKE THE SOCIETY YOU WANT TO LIVE IN.