Finding Haiti in Wonderland

Hey, it's me Nicole. I read your comparison of games today in class. I love the metaphor with Alice in wonderland. I love Alice in wonderland, it is on of my favorite stories and always has been. I love monopoly too but it has been a long time since I played it. My favorite games are mainly computer based. I love happy pets now more then other games though, it seems to be the only one I have time for.

I agree with you, When  i first played the game it was amusing for me because, i'ven ever played a game like this. I guess the creator  wanted people to see how life actually is in real life. I think that the main thing you had  to do throughout the game was make sure your people were healthy because, most likely if they were they would survive. After i while i got a bit frustrated with the game and wanted to give up until i tried again and i was finally able to keep all my people alive and healthy. Throughout the game you are allowed to send your people to work, school,or rest. I switched the characters postions every time the season changed. I learned that you have to also pay attention to the characters emotions because,  when i first tried the game i didn't care if my people were upset i still sent them to work until they got sick. At that moment i was just thinking how could i get alot of money in the game and i wasn't focusing on how the objective of the game which is to get your people through all seasons being healthy.

I enjoyed reading your post, "Finding Haiti in Wonderland." I really like your metaphor to Alice in the Wonderland as well. You're almost describing it as a guilty pleasure... It's like you enjoy it but don't want to admit your addiction to it. The first time I played the Ayiti cost of life game, I wasn't so interested in it and just put random things. When I played it again, I realized that the conditions of these fictional characters in this game may just be the same as those actual people in Haiti. I found it difficult to find strategies in order to win this game. This game was different from other popular games that people enjoy to play because you're responsible for a family's lives and need to make decisions in order for them to survive. If you make the wrong decision, family members may fall ill or even die. This proves how if Haitians aren't careful with their money and health during this time, their lives may be at risk... Thank you for your post!

This is an experience that I also had.  It made me feel really bad because there are thousands of people who live life like that game.  And they just had an earthquake.  I really doubt that their life is even half as easy as the game.  The game neglects the challenge of working, learning, farming, etc.  Haiti is a country that is not thought about much, though they have poverty just like many other countries.

was very long but good in details

I agree with you when you said that at first Ayiti was "strangely amusing". Though it is fun the first time, after playing Ayiti several times it made me feel depressed because all the kids died and I didnt have enough money to send them to the hospital. But eventualy, you get the hang of the game and you realize the best ways to make money for the family, while still keeping the family's health in tact.

  You are definately right when talking about the idea of "falling down the rabbit hole" and comparing that feeling to the one of wanting to suceed and prove that you are capable of winning.The game was fun at first until I started realizing that this was a game full of tragedies and pain that exists somewhere in the world while we're here trying to prove that we can win something.The game is someone's life and disease, debt, and constant fear of things like hurricanes will come just as easily to the people in Haiti as it did in the game.When you said "You don't want to be in charge of someone's life, game or not." I realized these things and that is exactly how I felt.I didn't like the feeling of empowerment or control when I saw the pain that most of us were unaware of how bad it truely was and I saw what the game's purpose might be.The game shows that we don't need to win because there are definately things that are much more important. 

I agree with the sentence where you said, "It really isn't until the third or fourth time when the game starts  to get repetative that you truely realize the reality of the game,"  because when I played the game myself I realized the same thing. The first three times that I played the game Ayiti: The Cost of Life I was just having fun and trying to keep the Haitian family alive for the course of four years, but as I started playing more and more I noticed something else about the game as well. I realized that the game was actually representing the kind of lives that people have in Haiti. I began to feel sorry for them. I learned that  people in Haiti have to work in low paying, and unhealthy jobs in order to just survive, and have to face horrible climate conditions that can wipe out their homes. Many Haitian children also don't get an education because their parents can not afford it. All these horific things made me want to continue playing this game just like you in order to prove that it is beatable and that Haitian families can have successful lives. The game Ayiti: The Cost of Life truely helps you see the lives that people have in Haiti and make you want to do something to help them.    

I agree with you when you said that the game was "amusing".  At first i found it very difficult and frustrating because everyone kept dying and you couldnt help them because you had no money.  But when i got the hang of it was pretty fun it felt good to win, it felt good you you actually got through all four years.  I agree with you that it is someones life and  after a while it just hits you that this is how they live and you just ant help but feel bad for these people and want to help them.  I totally agree with everything that you said but I just dont think this would be a game that i would enjoy playing all the time.  

Your description exactly summed up how I felt about it, and how I'm sure any other players felt. I wanted to give this fictional family a good life, have them get an education and overcome poverty, because, like you said, this is what some people's lives are like. Also, I thought your Alice In Wonderland analogy was great.

When I read your little reflection on games and Ayiti I totally agreed when you said "You don't want to be in charge of someone else's life, game or not. But you keep going because you want to prove that this game is beatable." That was exactly how I felt and it even made me sad to see the family suffering compared to the life I have...great compared to the Hatians from the game. When you said that it made me realized just how lucky I am.