Real Lives

By: Derek Yu

On: July 16th, 2007

Real Lives is a “life simulator” that puts you in the shoes of someone, somewhere in the world. Who you are, where you’re born, and to who are based on real life statistics, as well as the random events that may happen to you. The interface is quite simple, the most prominent feature being a giant map in the center of the screen. Everything else is text and icons and buttons.

The most important button is the “Advance an Age” button, which you will be using to move forward in your life. As you get older, various choices and options will be presented to you – everything from schooling to finances to who you date and marry and have (or not have) children with. Of course, what you’re able to do depends heavily on where you start out, and at any moment tragedy can strike.

The game, as simple as it is, is incredibly compelling, and very sobering. In my first game, I was quite fortunate, having been born in a middle class family in Slovakia. I died at age 61 of rheumatoid arthritis as a well-to-do police captain with three healthy daughters. In my latest game, however, I’ve been born as a girl to an extremely poor family in rural China, and things are going to be difficult. Being beaten, raped, arrested, or contracting a fatal disease is not uncommon. It’s brutal.

As I said above, the game is based on real life statistics, and as you’re playing you can view those statistics as each event occurs. If you get food poisoning in Slovakia (as I did quite a few times), you can see statistics about what percentage of people like you living in Slovakia get food poisoning each year. The context in which the information is presented makes it so much less dry than if you read it in a periodical.

Real Lives works on a lot of levels: as a game, a simulation, and an educational tool. It also has the incredible potential to increase awareness and human empathy. So it wins pretty hard, all around!

The demo (available as a direct link from this Something Awful thread) is free to play for as long as you like, although if you want access to the character creator, you have to pay $25 for the registered version (via the first link). And here’s a thread I started on our forums for you to post your own “Real Lives.” Everyone should post their first!

(Source: Soldat Movies)

Posted in Highly Recommended, Sim, Social Impact, Windows

Rz.

wow derek. you must lurk or something, i got this off a thread last night… :3
http://www.g4g.it FireSword

The Matrix has you..
poor blinds. hahahahah
Jared

I wish the game had some sort of timeline. Some of the facts relate to World War II while others have to do with stuff that happened in the 70’s, so I have no idea what year my person was born in.
Peni

Looks gay. (why do you censor my posts)? Cant you allow constructive criticism on this site? What is this…China????
Rz.

I NO RITE?
Derek

No, it’s not China… but it isn’t America, either. It’s a benevolent dictatorship called “TIGSource.”

And when you start posting constructive criticism, I’ll stop censoring you, dummy!
Rz.

MEIN FÃœHRER, I CAN POST!
Peni

Seig Heil!
makeshifter

you know how awsome it would be if you turned out to be hitler in this game. or an even worse idea. a power with no intelligence. aka gorge bush. lol umm i cant review just yet but when this damn thing finishes i’ll tell you
Rabspat

Pretty fun, but it can be a little slow paced at times.
negative zero

interesting concept. always wondered what it’d be like to be born as a hobbo.
Peni

“A power with no intelligence” Please. Bush sees the problem. He just lacks the ability to convince morons like you. Our country is being bled by attitudes like yours. We lack the fortitude to make it in this world. This PC shit is killing us. There will come a time when we look back and wonder wht the fuck we were thinking. The fucktards we are fighting are animals and must be treated accordingly. The world is being taken over by lberal fucks like yourself and soon we will all pay for it. Go back to your video games and while your at it, eat shit.
KoKos

Peni is like the incredible trolling machine !!!
Derek

Holy hell… hahaha, wow. So you do have some opinions other than “this game is gay.” ;)

Btw, seeing the problem is one thing, finding a good solution is another.
Balls

“We lack the fortitude to make it in this world.”

I assume you are signing up for the military — when was it, tomorrow?

And, by the way, before you do any more complaining about “lberal fucks,” you might want to look into the backgrounds of the neoconservative intellectuals who promoted the war in Iraq (and are now promoting a war against Iran). Almost to a man, they are former starry-eyed communists (see David Horowitz, Christopher Hitchens, Joshua Muravchik, etc.). Actually, their beliefs never changed much; they still worship the all-powerful, all-knowing state. Only the sales pitch was modified.

And it works quite well on dummies like you who, lacking any historical context for the philosophy, think being “conservative” means supporting any war launched by a Republican president while shouting down “libs.”

Here’s a tip: Try turning off the Hannity show and reading a book once in a while.
makeshifter

now ive played it. its a good game. worth keeping. i died at 77. and it seemed that
everything bad happened to everyone but me.
i recommend the game with a 3 out of 5
Rz.

Peni amazes me, look at how he tries to take pictures of the Big Board! Ha ha ha. On a related note, the full version of this game is sex as hell. I wish there was a surname ‘Drago’ though, because I was making Ivan Drago, with 100 on all stats. It was pretty boss, I got kicked out of home at 14 for disobeying my parentals by staying with some stupid chick who didn’t even qualify for college. I had a kid by 16, and was wed by 18. GOD BLESS THE MOTHERLAND
makeshifter

hmmmm peni you insult me. and i pity you. one i was making a joke. two you judge me as a computer playing geek. while this is true. you do realize that you are qualified as a troll. which is actually worse then me. an old saying goes “before a man can judge he must accept others judgments as well.” for your tiny mind to comprehend i’ll say it in your language…

LEARN TO SEE BOTH SIDES OF THE PROBLEM JACKASS!!!!!

plus your view can be thought of as un-american. as in this great country we are free to view how we like. you are saying that we should be one sided. almost as bad as saying that this country is owned by dictators. this is democracy. if some people have a different view they are allowed to speak it.which leaves you with even what your trying to fight for against you.

you can’t win a battle of words wit me peni. i may not be all knowing. but i know enough to justify myself and my reasons. and i know enough that i can tell just by reading your writing. that you don’t know enough to continue this fight. give up while you still have some dignity left.
makeshifter

sorry for my spelling errors i’ve never been a good typer. speaker yes. fast typer no
makeshifter

oh first sorry for all these posts in a row but i have to keep adding to all this. it would be helpful if we had an edit key.
just a thought Derek

and fyi peni. even bush is supporting the idea of a technological future where life will be easy. if this ” PC shit” is killing us. then so be it. but i know one thing.
you, me, and every one on this planet is dependent on computers. so like every other thing on this planet. it has its good sides and its bad sides. if you only focus on the bad side. the good side will ignore you. and you will die.
like all the others. now i stop this lecture now.
Gr.Viper

Hm. So basically the game is similar to
http://www.mobygames.com/game/dos/alter-ego
But with some country statistics thrown in?
I loved Alter Ego. Male version of course. A three-second attempt to look at the world through the eyes of a female character was utterly unbearable.
Chris L

Yikes. Looks like an amazing game but I’ll think I’ll pass. This looks a bit too sober for my mood at the moment. Besides, escapism is more my bag when it comes to gaming and I’m ok with that. But kudos to the creators for making something that’ll get people thinking.
Peni

“I suck dick.”

P.S. This is really Peni.
http://www.g4g.it FireSword

Peni u must be on drugs.. haha
One nick that explains a lot of things.. haha

I must give credit to Gr. Viper
for Alter Ego citation.
http://www.gamelab.com K. Thor Jensen

60 years old
My wife threw something at me.

61 years old
62 years old
My wife threatened me with a weapon.

Can’t wait to see where this ends up.
ssfsx17

Military careers are absolutely fruitless, unlike in real life where you could potentially get into the inner circle of a dictator/strongman. I also expected to receive lots of bribes as a police captain, but it seems that even the amoral businessmen and mafia are poor in this game.
Eudaimon

You know, for some reason this game reminds me of a game I had on my graphing calculator in high school. Pimp’s Quest, I believe. You’d have to get in fights for money, go to clubs to get girls, and then work your way on up by whoring them out, beginning with hobos and ending up with the President.

The trappings may be different, yes, but the underlying structure of the games are very much alike.
MedO

I’ve been born in China as son of a moderately wealthy family. After experiencing a division by zero at age 19, and several failed romances, I finally married (just after I became an alcoholic, strange that…) and worked hard to emigrate. Failing to come up with enough money, I finally left illegally with my wife anf my second (unmarried) daughter, who on arrival promptly died in a road accident. However, I made a lot more money in Germany… I finally died at age 57 from a heart attack.

Thought-provoking simulation, really. I think it’s a very good attempt at educational gaming.
Peni

PC = Politically correct, not Personal Computer. LOL. Freakin tard. Stick with the games. Mental midgets. LMAO.
http://www.distractionware.com Echo

Peni: You’re so right, but don’t worry, it’ll get easier as you go on. Sooner of later your family will have to accept you for who you are. In the meantime, try to think happy thoughts!
makeshifter

peni… you fail. you already lost. and your proving it. the fact that i took pc as personal computer just proves that you didn’t make your point well enough. thus you fail at this speech. now with no dignity. proving your a hypocrite. and being completely oblivious to anything.

prepare to get your ass flamed.

YOU ARE SUCH A FUCKING DUMB ASS! YOUR CALLING ME STUPID LOOK AT YOUR SELF. YOUR THE WORST FUCKING MORTAL ON THIS PLANET. YOU CANT EVEN SPEAK COHERENTLY.
ITS LIKE EVERY FUCKING THING THAT COMES OUT OF MOUTH THAT ISN’T COMPLETE CRAP.
IS WORSE THAN CRAP. YOU CANT EVEN TELL WHEN YOU’VE LOST AND HAVE NO FUCKING HOPE TO COMEBACK. YOU ARE CALLING ME A NERD. WELL FRANKLY YES I AM SMARTER THAN YOU! YES I DO SPEND TIME ON MY COMPUTER.
BUT I DO NOT SPEND HOURS OF MY LIFE. SITTING ON MY ASS TYPING UP USELESS CRAP.
WHICH SOUL PURPOSE IS TO PISS PEOPLE OFF. YOU ARE A PIECE OF WORTHLESS SHIT.
NO ONE WILL EVER EVEN WANT TO BE NEAR YOU. YOU WILL LIVE ALONE. DIE ALONE. AND YOU WILL ONLY BE IN COMPANY WHEN YOU FINALLY REACH THE DARKEST CIRCLE OF HELL WHERE THEY SEND ASS HOLES LIKE YOU. IF YOUR NOT SHOT THEN YOU WILL ROT IN A DUMPSTER. HOPEING EVERY DAY OF YOUR LIFE. THAT DEATH WILL TAKE YOU INTO HIS SWEET FORGIVING ARMS. BUT IT WILL NEVER COME.

NO SHUT THE FUCK UP GET A LIFE AND STOP BOTHERING US. LEST YOUR SOUL (WHICH I DOUBT YOU HAVE ONE) BE FOREVER CURSED.
makeshifter

my apolagies to anyone who doesn’t care.
Radix

The problem I have with the game is that the application of statistics is inconsistent. They’re used to justify screwing the player over, but when it comes to positive things (like trying to land a husband who HAS A JOB in a wealthy country with very low unemployment) they’re ignored.

Then there’s things like, as others mentioned, the lack of career-related actions. There’s also a distinct lack of control over your fate which really should exist for a self-sufficient adult. The early game, getting GOITER’D as a kid, is extremely well developed, but the mid- and late-game is lacking if you survive that long. All in all it’s more of a YOU GOT RAPED sim than a life sim.

But, there’s awesome potential there. The main thing needed is an extended actions menu which provides the player with choices such as their attitude towards family members if they have a family, their stance towards various issues if they spend time protesting, etcetera. Depending on your situation, the extended actions change. In this way you could *choose* your path more than simply relying on random dialogue boxes.

Another feature which would be very great, as well as “educational”, with a slightly more positive message while still playing into their obvious pessimistic/semi-socialist YOU GOT RAPED design paradigm would be the option to play in a persistent world. What this means is, your choices and actions would make permanent changes to the world model which would affect your future lives. This would require either an extended actions list as above, or more frequent situation-oriented “decision” dialogues or above, or both.

So for example, odds are you’re going to wind up in India, as a female. If you make your character a protester, and either select female rights violations as your issue of choice in the “extended actions” or in yearly dialogue boxes, well, odds are fuck all will happen. But do it with every one of a dozen characters and you have a chance permanently altering the world model to reduce female discrimination in your starting country.

For a more dramatic example, let’s say your wealthy well-educated character becomes a senior government official. *His* policy choices are a lot more weighty, and have a real choice of altering policy in the direction you choose. With extended situation-dependent events, you’d also have a chance of running for head of state. You probably won’t win, especially if various things you have no control over like gay siblings work against you in your country, but if you do your choices become a lot more potent. You could try to change policy directly, or become utterly corrupt, or even declare war internationally (the advantage being a likely boost in economy as long as you don’t get trounced. The disadvantage would be lowering the standard of living dramatically in one or both countries. You might even be able to nuke the USA into dust, turning it into a third-world mad max-esque country for all your future radioactive mutant lives which start there).

An alternate route to power might be a military coup if you spend your life in military service and become a powerful general. Easier in poorer countries, and much harder to have a positive impact on the world model. But you could rename your African state to BUTTLAND and try to genocide an ethnic group you don’t like starting as.

On a different note, other occupations would have other influences. A scientist might be lucky enough to cure AIDS and a future volunteer-type character might dedicate themselves to spreading it in affected nations, lowering the odds of contracting it and/or it’s lethality there. A heavily religious character with a graduate degree in Religion might become a church leader and alter certain church policies, which would affect characters born into that religion or a state where that religion dominates.

Etcetera. I just think it would be really neat and make the game feel a lot more complete. In an educational sense it would give a class of students the opportunity to work together to create either a better world or an apocalyptic wasteland.

Also, I notice from looking at the character files that in amongst the data that’s obviously recorded for selecting random events (like past diseases), there’s other stuff (like your title or the subject of your education or the number of years you’ve spent watching TV) which don’t really seem to be used for anything at all. Why doesn’t the game use all this to give you a kick-arse game over screen? I want to know all about my life and my family, and have something I can take a screenshot of to show that I left a debt of $50,000 in 1-year loans to my brick-throwing bitch of a wife.

http://img503.imageshack.us/img503/7567/rlloliwifegd0.gif
Peni

“HOPEING”. LOL. You illiterate tard. LMAO. PWNED.
Derek

makeshifter, I’m sorry but that post you just made is as annoying as anything I’ve seen from Peni. Please just let me take care of the troll posts.
makeshifter

right well back to the game. my last life was hilarious. i died at 81. my last years went like this. i have hookworm. im cured!
i have hook worm again!?! Im cured! i have roundworm?!? im cured again. i died of a stroke.
Xelkelvos

I saw someone become a Dictator, but it requires graduate school…how do I get to that?
Radix

You get to graduate school by skipping trade school, completing secondary school, and then completing college.

But “Dictator” isn’t a real job, anyone with anything like that has edited their character file. For example I have an German Adolf Hitler character and a Romanian Simon Belmont whose occupation is ‘scavenger of wallmeat’.

It’s a decent way to squeeze some more enjoyment out after you get sick of GOITER.
lindsay

yay im 37 i have a net worth of 70 million and a senior government official