Karma Tycoon turns philanthropy into a game
June 18, 2010
BY BILL FERRIS
A game called Karma Tycoon causes a little cognitive dissonance for me — accumulating good karma seems contrary to to the word tycoon, which I associate with greed. Nevertheless, there are worse qualities than having a competitive desire to make a difference in society.
I’ve never played games like Roller Coaster Tycoon, but I’ll assume Karma Tycoon is based on the same principles — you acquire good karma by building and maintaining homeless shelters, performing arts centers, and other facilities designed to make a positive impact in a community. You can apply for grants and loans to bankroll your philanthropy, and the more people you help, the better your karma score.
Karma Tycoon can teach students several economics lessons — they’ll balance budgets, consider the importance of marketing, pay attention to interest rates, accumulate and pay off debt, and evaluate how factors in the community like a heatwave can affect your day-to-day operations. It incorporates a little problem-solving, too — how do you cover the cost of, say, a new studio in your performing arts center when you’re deep in debt and don’t qualify for any grants? The focus of all this, however, is on helping people rather than amassing a fortune. Not a bad goal, and Karma Tycoon provides a fun way to reach it.
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