Today’s game that we played gave me a much better understanding of what life would be like in Europe in the 1800s. Luckily I was a single woman going into the Industrial Revolution because providing for just one person is hard enough. In order to eat decent food, have suitable clothing and a roof over one’s head, one must work all day ever day. In order for all of these things to be made possible for more than one person, then it is necessary for everyone in the family to work as well, including the children. I saw some families where children died due to the horrific working conditions, which as tragic as it was, in some ways benefitted the families due to now there was one less mouth to feed. I felt that the factory managers should have been a bit more lenient and conscientious of the wages they were paying their workers. Yes, I realize that they had to make livings for themselves and their families at home as well, however when it is at the point where families are going hungry or living on the streets then I feel as though something must be changed.
When it came time for the second round to commence, I felt as though I had a better idea of how to be successful. Although eating less may be harmful to my body, eating only potatoes saved me an amble amount of money. Also, as awful as it may sound, it was quite beneficial to me that Layla passed away early on for I would not be able to provide for the two of us. She would have been too little to work in a factory and I would have been unable to bring her with me to work. All in all, I feel as though it would have been extremely difficult living in the times that we are studying, and it is highly doubtful that I would be capable of living a successful life back then. Playing this game allowed me to grasp a deeper understanding of what life for people of that era was like, allowing me to gain more interest in the topic as we continue to study it.
I agree with a lot of what you said; reflecting on the game actually helped me understand its value, more than I did while playing it. While immersed in the game, I was too focused on its entertainment value, and the level of strategy involved.
ReplyDeleteAlthough it was relatively simple to collect a large amount of MnM's (once one had mastered the strategy of going to the beach in order to collect large amounts of luxury points), I became someone disinterested in the game. However, upon writing these blogs, and reflecting on the decisions that I made, I truly do understand a lot more about life during the Industrial Revolution than I did before. By experiencing what life might have actually been like (to some degree) for the average 19th century laborer, rather than just reading about it in a textbook, I was able to get a better grasp on European lifestyles during this era.