Third World Farmer

Summary
Third World Farmer is a game that simulates the life of a poor African subsistence farmer. It Begins by giving the farmer a healthy family of four, a hut, farm land, and fifty dollars. The farmer must survive year after, making decisions on whether or purchase crops. farm animals, equipment, buildings, or medical care. All this happens as a yearly onslaught of disasters and crimes are perpetrated on the farmer, seldom allowing him to get ahead.

How to Play
The game rules are very simple and could be learned by students at almost any level. Students need to buy crops and other items from the left hand menu. Then they need to place them in the fields. Once they are done buying items, they press the play button and a year of game-play will pass by with flashing months. Then, with whatever money and resources are left, the player repeats the process until the player and his family die, or until the player becomes a successful farmer.

Playing the Game
Playing the game is fun and intellectually challenging. It is a fairly simple simulation to play, but it has a lot of nuances. The simple part is that all a player needs to do is buy crops and supplies every year, and press play. Then the year passes by, and the results from the years crops, farm animals, and disasters are flashed at the end of the year. The results are displayed like a budget summary, with the crop prices and livestock prices fluctuating every year.

The item that impacts players the most is the "Event of the Year", usually a disaster, that can dramatically alter the fortunes of the player. Some of the yearly events that occur are Guerrilla attacks, refugee squatters, bank failures, crop failures, livestock diseases, and family sicknesses. Every once in a great year, farmers will have a good year and earn a decent return on their crops.

While maintaining crops and farm animals, the player must continually keep watch on his families health, decide when to have children, and decide whether or not to invest in expensive infrastructure, political representation, animals, and farm equipment. In the end, most players usually die off from the hardships of being a subsistence farmer. In fact, the game leaves players with this statement: "

Reflections
This game is stacked against the player and it is very difficult to win. This difficulty is not a result of poor game design, however, and is clearly meant to teach a lesson. At the end of the game, this quote is displayed on the screen: "Rules unfair? Game rigged? Think about the people to whom this isn't a game, but everyday life."

I played the game three times. Two times my farmer and his family scratched out an existence for several decades before they all died a slow starving death. I would just get my player ahead a little bit, and a disaster would come and wipe out all I had worked for. It felt so unfair and I really got frustrated. I was often faced with making decisions about whether to buy crops or whether to pay for healthcare. Some years were so desperate that I was more than willing to violate my principles by planting opium poppies, storing toxic waste, performing for tourists, or allowing paramilitary groups to rent my land. I felt like I was compromising my principles, but I really needed the money being offered.

I actually won the third game and ended up with an advanced farm, a healthy family, educated children, and $25,000 in the bank. Somehow, through good planning, decisions, and luck, I was able to gain enough profit to buy enabling tools and equipment, expensive farm animals, political representation, medical clinics, a road, crop insurance, and a school. Once I became safer and more secure, I noticed that my decisions became more principled and financially oriented. I turned down unethical ventures, and I invested in cash crops like cotton that would pay the most, and I replaced my farm animals with expensive elephants. My choices became all about making more money, because I was protected from many of the problems that I had as a poor farmer.

This game was surprisingly addictive and moving. I didn't want to stop. As a poor farmer, I was just wanting to survive and waiting for a little luck. As a rich farmer, I was trying to do good by my family, stay in perfect health, and make wise investments. It really opened my eyes up to the hopelessness of life and extreme hardship faced by farmers in third world countries. It just made me want to do something to help them out. As a side note, I am going to go to Ethiopia this year on a school district "blessed" trip to assist a school with teaching and technology. I think this game will help me to look at their plight in a new, and more sympathetic light.