Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Extra Credit blog: Reflection on the Game

Extra Credit blog: Reflect on the game we played:
What happened to your family?

At first, I was living alone in Manchester. I was making enough money to survive on basic necessities, but I was by no means living in luxury. However, later on I decided to bring my six family members over from Africa. I chose to do this because the amount of money they had the potential to earn, was much greater than the costs of extra food, housing, clothing, and other necessities. By the end of round 2, my family was able to afford extremely luxurious things, such as tailored clothes and expensive foods. However, we chose to continue to live modestly. The only luxuries we purchased were regular visits to the beach.
What did you feel about the Industrialists?

The industrialists were pretty greedy: they paid us as little as they could get away with, and worked us like dogs in the coal mines and factories. At one point there were rumors floating around that people wanted to create unions, but no one was ever organized enough to actually start one.
How were you able to get jobs?

I was able to get a job by speaking with the industrialists. I ended up finding a job at the coal mine, while my wife and kids became tailors.
What made life better the second round?

In the second round, the costs of everything decreased. Because I was spending less money on things like food, and a home, I was able to afford some of the pricier items. Also, in the second round I brought my family over from Africa. Because I spent no money on them and forced them to work for the industrialists, I was able to make a lot of money off of them.
Would you have followed Marx?

I would have supported Marx because he wanted to give workers more power in society. He believed in the formation of unions, and was against the exploitation of the lower class. Also, Marx wanted the proletariat to be in control of the government, rather than the King or the upper class. Marx would have significantly improved my livelihood during this era.

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