Gloria Xiang's APUSH Final Project

(text-colour:yellow)[(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Hidden Lives: A Poverty Simulation]][(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Gloria Xiang]] [[→Continue to the game|start1]]

To play the game, click the option that you want to choose. The different situations in the game aren't going to affect each other. [[→Go to your profile|profile]]

(text-colour:yellow)[(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Your Profile]] You are playing as a single mother in your late twenties who's struggling to make ends meet. You live in a small, cramped apartment in Chicago that is in need of repairs. Your salary is largely consumed by rent, leaving little money left over for food and other necessities. You're constantly exhausted and hungry, and you're not sure how you're going to pay for all of your bills. Although you have a job as a waitress, the pay isn't great and you can't get extra hours. You have a child, and you worry about providing enough for them. You're always stressed out, and you feel like you're trapped in a never-ending cycle of poverty. As you play the game, you'll have to make difficult decisions about how to divide up your limited resources. You will need to consider both the short-term and long-term effects of every choice that you make. Will this choice keep you and your family afloat for another week, or will it push you even further into poverty? [[→Ready to play? Start the game|day 1]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(text-colour:grey)[Situation 1]] You're standing in the grocery store, trying to decide what to buy for you and your child. You have $50 in your pocket, but you know that you also have to pay your rent at the end of the week, which costs $400. Do you buy the cheaper, lower-quality food ($20) or do you spend a little more for the higher-quality options ($45)? [[→Cheaper, lower-quality food]] [[→Expensive, higher-quality food]]

You chose to buy cheaper food. Now, you have more money saved up to pay rent at the end of the week, but unhealthy foods can lead to health issues like heart disease, diabetes, and high cholesterol. [[→Continue|day 2]] <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41599-018-0201-x">More information</a>

You chose to buy more expensive food. Now, you have less money saved up to pay rent at the end of the week, but the more expensive food will be healtheir for you in the long run. [[→Continue|day 2]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(text-colour:grey)[Situation 2]] It's time to pay your bills. Gas is $60, electricity is $40, and cellphone is $65. You have $130 left to spend, so you can only choose two to pay and one to ignore. Keep in mind that the money that's left over is going to be used for groceries, rent, and other fees that may pop up. Remember that there are reconnection fees to pay if you ignore a bill. [[→Ignore gas bill (spending $105)]] [[→Ignore electricity bill (spending $125)]] [[→Ignore cellphone bill (spending $100)]] [[→Pay all bills (spending $165)]]

You chose to ignore your electricity bill. Now, you'll be able to use your cellphone and you'll have gas, but you're taking your chances with the lights, air conditioner/heater, and water heater. [[→Continue|day3]]

You chose to ignore your gas bill, which was the second cheapest option. You'll be able to use your phone and your apartment will have electricity, but your taking your chances to have no gas, which means your apartment would be cold. [[→Continue|day3]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(text-colour:grey)[Situation 3]] Your friend needs a place to stay for a week. She's willing to pay you $150, but you know that she's going to be a negative influence on your child. [[→Let your friend live in your apartment]] [[→Don't let your friend live in your apartment]]

You chose to ignore the cellphone bill, which was the cheapest option. You have $30 left over to spend on other things, but now, you won't be able to use your cellphone to stay connected or have internet access. [[→Continue|day3]] <a href="https://blogs.iadb.org/ideas-matter/en/a-call-for-development-when-a-phone-alone-can-alleviate-poverty/">More information</a>

You chose to pay all of the bills. Now, you won't be risking losing your cellphone, electricity, or gas, but you ran out of money and won't be able to pay for groceries or save up for the rent due at the end of the month. [[→Continue|day3]]

You choose to let your friend live in your apartment, and you get $150. As Barbara Enrenreich found in "Nickel and Dimed," high costs often force people to share housing. [[→Continue|day4]]

You choose to not let your friend live in your apartment, which is the better choice for your child. [[→Continue|day4]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(text-colour:grey)[Situation 4]] Something blew in your car on the way to drop off your child at school. You don't know what's wrong, but it can't be good. You have $300 to spend. [[→Leave it and take the bus ($5)]] [[→Pay to fix it ($300)|day5]] [[→Get it towed ($75)|day5]]

You leave your car and take the bus, but now you're late for work and your child is late for school. You also can't use your car until you figure out what's wrong with it. [[→Continue|day5]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(text-colour:grey)[Situation 5]] Your child is struggling in math. You aren't the best at math because of the little time you had to focus on homework during high school (you had to work a job to help support your parents). You have $245 to spend, but you know that you have to spend at least $100 in bills this week and $20 for groceries. [[→Hire a tutor ($50)|day6]] [[→Try to help your child]]

The problem your child is having a difficult time with: (align:"=><=")[7(x-2) = 3(x-4)] What answer do you tell your child? [[x=7.5|didn't help]] [[x=6.5|help]] [[x=5.5|didn't help]] [[x=4.5|didn't help]]

Like many Americans, you don’t have high enough math skills to tutor your child. <a href="https://www.nccp.org/publication/parents-low-education-leads-to-low-income-despite-full-time-employment/">More information</a> [[→Continue|day6]]

You gave your child the correct answer, and they go on to ace the math test! Way to go! However, most Americans in poverty don't have the resources and don't have the education to help their children in school. <a href="https://www.nccp.org/publication/parents-low-education-leads-to-low-income-despite-full-time-employment/">More information</a> [[→Continue|day6]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(text-colour:grey)[Situation 6]] After work, a coworker invites you to go to a concert. You really want to go, but that means that you'll have to leave your child home alone. [[→Go to the concert ($15)|6.5]] [[→Get a babysitter ($30)|6.5]] [[→Stay at home]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(text-colour:grey)[Situation 7]] Someone approaches you in the parking lot while you are on your way to work. They want to form a union to push for a better pay. [[→Ignore them|day8]] [[→Talk to them]]

You decide to stay at home. Even though you really need a break, you can't afford one. This is one of the main reasons why higher stress levels are more common among low-wage workers. <a href="https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2018/01/stress-minority-income">More information: APA</a> [[→Continue|day7]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(text-colour:grey)[Situation 8]] Your kid come home from school crying because the other kids at school are bullying them for using a free school meal voucher. Paying for school lunch every day can be as costly as $60 a month, which is a huge chunk out of your savings. [[→Spend extra money to buy your child lunch (extra $2 a day)|day8.5]] [[→Risk your child going hungry|day8.5]]

Your manager finds out about the conversation. Legally, they can't do anything to stop you from organizing a union, but now they're looking for any way to get you fired. <a href="https://www.nlrb.gov/about-nlrb/rights-we-protect/the-law/employees/your-rights-during-union-organizing">More information</a> [[→Continue|day8]]

Many children who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch choose to go hungry rather than face the stigma of being identified as poor. <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/education/01lunch.html">More information</a> [[→Continue|day9]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(text-colour:grey)[Situation 9]] You've been feeling sharp pains in your chest for a couple of days, and you know that your family has a long history of heart disease. You had $300 to spend, but you needed to pay a reconnection fee after not paying a bill, so now you have $250. [[→Get it checked out ($80)|day9.6]] [[→Ignore it|day9.5]]

(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[(text-colour:grey)[Situation 10]] Your child got into the gifted program at school. The cost of materials and joining is $50, and you only have $130 left to spend after paying rent. [[→Let your child join ($50)|end]] [[→Don't let your child join|10.5]]

You choose to ignore the sharp pains, which is a very dangerous decision since heeart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/facts.htm">More information</a> [[→Continue|day10]]

(text-colour:yellow)[(align:"=><=")+(box:"X")[Hidden Lives: A Poverty Simulation End]] Thank you for playing Hidden Lives: A Poverty Simulation. Although there were many aspects that I wasn't able to include into the game, like a money system that went across all situations, I hope that you were able to gain a deeper understanding of the difficult decisions that people who live in poverty have to face every day. [[→Play again|profile]]

You choose to go to the concert, which helped relieve some of your stress. But you spent extra money while doing so. [[→Continue|day7]]

You get it checked out. Thankfully, you don't have heart disease, and now you've missed a day of work and spent $80. [[→Continue|day10]]

You don't let your child join because of the extra fees. In fact, among children 6 to 11, 14.3% of those not living in poverty all year were in a gifted program, compared to 8.8% of children living in poverty the entire year. <a href="https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2020/09/children-in-poverty-less-likely-to-participate-in-sports-gifted-programs.html">More information</a> [[→Continue|end]]