White House Asks Microsoft to Create a Federal Budget Video Game

April 15, 2010 By Ryan Fleming

The Obama Administration has contacted Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer about creating a “deficit-reduction” video game to educate the public.

In a bold move, Fiscal Commission co-chair Erskine Bowles asked Microsoft to take a stab at the largely untapped “boring” genre of video games, and create a game that would allow users to attempt to balance the budget.

According to USA Today, the White House is hoping Microsoft can create a game to show the public the difficult choices involved in managing the nation’s deficit. The current U.S. national debt is $12.8 trillion dollars, and the game would be designed to illustrate the necessary difficulties – which programs to cut and how to trim existing packages, for example – behind lowering the debt. It could potentially be similar to Oregon Trail, minus the fun.

Democratic Senator Bob Kerry was quoted as saying that the game could “go viral”. Microsoft has not confirmed its involvement yet, but CEO Steve Ballmer has been contacted. If the game proceeds, it would be a riveting look at the high octane world of budgeting. Users would not be able to win, so much as lose less than others in an attempt to mitigate the public’s expectations. It would be an education tool designed to educate users on the difficulties the country is facing.

After all, what gamer doesn’t want to face the grim prospect of slashing medicare instead of slashing alien invaders? No word yet on possible online multiplayer budgeting death matches.

Showing 5 comments

carpediem at 3:10pm 16th April 2010 This would be an awesome idea, if the winners got to replace all the morons in washington and implement their changes. The first one through with no casualties becomes Obama, the Second Pelosi... the first to create a swear hack becomes Biden 8)
rusty_shackleford_33 at 6:04pm 15th April 2010 Isn't this game already existing and called Civilization?

I'm glad we have a ministry of propaganda trying to spend money to show taxpayers why it's so hard to spend money.
Ryan Fleming at 12:39pm 15th April 2010 I agree with you about it not really being a video game, but Bowles specifically asked for a deficit reducing video game. And I'm sure it'll be a blast. When I think "fun", I think "United States budget and fiscal deficit planning"
1. bj loblo at 3:06pm 29th July 2010 yuose
Brandon Rahhal at 12:09pm 15th April 2010 Nit-picky as it sounds, this isn't a game. A game has goals and some sort of opposition. What's the goal here? To ultimately find out how f***ed we are? And unless the game has AI senators blocking your changes, it's little more than a calculator. It's an educational tool, with marginally more amusement than a textbook.

Though I will say, if the game shows the consequences of your changes it could be fun. Like, you completely remove health care, and the program shows streets choked with the sick and infirm. Or you slash the defense budget, and the U.S. gets invaded, that could be fun. Like destroying your SimCity town, but with more ennui.

Also, I don't think Sen. Kerry knows what "going viral" means.