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{{Short description|Online game about surviving poverty and homelessness}} |
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{{italic title}}{{Infobox video game |
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{{tone|date=March 2013}} |
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| title = Spent |
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| ⚫ | '''''Spent''''' (stylized '''''SPENT''''') is an [[online game]] about |
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| developer = [[McKinney (advertising agency)|McKinney]] |
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| platforms = Browser, mobile |
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| released = February 2011 |
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| image = Spent video game logo.png |
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}} |
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| ⚫ | '''''Spent''''' (stylized '''''SPENT''''') is an [[online game]] about [[poverty]] and [[homelessness]]. It was developed by advertising agency [[McKinney (advertising agency)|McKinney]] for their pro bono client Urban Ministries of Durham (UMD), a [[nonprofit organization]] in [[Durham, North Carolina]] that provides services to those in poverty.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.umdurham.org/who-we-are/misson-values-history.html |title=Mission, Values, History |publisher=Urban Ministries of Durham |access-date=January 11, 2012}}</ref> Players must make the difficult decisions necessary to live for one month on $1000, often having to choose between equally disagreeable options, such as choosing between a healthy meal and working electricity, or covering the minimum on credit cards and paying the rent. |
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The game ends when players either run out of money before the end of the month or make it through with money left over. |
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''Spent'' was released for [[Browser game|browser]] and [[Mobile game|mobile]] in February 2011. As of 2014, it has been played more than 4 million times.<ref>{{cite web|title=McKinney launches mobile version of SPENT|url=http://umdurham.org/assets/files/PR_UMD_SPENT%20tablet_final.pdf|website=Urban Ministries of Durham|publisher=Urban Ministries of Durham|access-date=31 July 2014}}</ref>{{Update inline|date=May 2022|reason=It's been 11 years. Has it been played more?}} |
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== Gameplay == |
== Gameplay == |
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The player, a single parent in poverty, is given $1,000 to live on for one month; they must then select employment, each of which pays [[minimum wage]]. The goal is to end the month with some money left over. Throughout the game's one-month period, the player must make difficult decisions relating to housing, utilities, groceries, and lifestyle decisions, among others, to ensure their survival for at least the month, many of which have negative long-term consequences; for example, choosing to not renew vehicle registration (which costs a large sum of money) can lead to the player being pulled over, with the choice of paying fees or spending a work day attending court, which adds a job strike (three of which gets the player fired from their job), an additional long-term expense, and a reduced payday. Players have the option to use their real-life social media connections on platforms such as [[Facebook]] and [[Twitter]] to ask a friend for assistance, serving as organic [[advertising]] for the website and personalizing the experience. |
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''Spent'' players are given $1,000 to live on for one month. The goal is to end the month with some money left over. Throughout the game's one-month period, players learn how quickly changes in [[employment]], housing, medical costs, and other expenses can have disastrous consequences. |
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| ⚫ | Certain decisions include short messages providing information about real statistics and poverty-related struggles; for example, after deciding whether to live closer to work (where the rent is high but the transportation costs low) or to live farther from work (where the rent is less expensive but the transportation costs are much higher), the player is shown the message "A lack of [[affordable housing]] is the number one cause of homelessness." |
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Because it's hard to make it on their own, players can ask their [[Facebook]] friends for help by posting messages like, "I can't pay all my bills this month. Can I borrow some money?" and "My kid and I got [[Eviction|evicted]]. Can we crash at your place?" This connection to [[social media]] also serves as organic [[advertising]] for the [[website]] and makes the experience seem more personal, less like a game. |
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The game ends when the player eithers run out of money before the end of the month, makes it through with money left over, or chooses to end the game manually. The end screen notes that rent is still due and invites the player to "help someone living ''Spent'' today" by learning more about UMD and donating to the organization. |
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== Development == |
== Development == |
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McKinney’s 11-member development team noted that tens of millions of people each month played [[Social-network game|social network games]] like ''[[FarmVille]]'' and ''[[Mafia Wars]]''. They suspected that the characteristics of these games could be used to educate people about the reality of poverty and homelessness. The team conducted focus groups with UMD caseworkers and the people assisted by them to research the factors necessary to construct the situations in ''Spent''.<ref>{{cite web |author=Flandez, Raymund |date=February 14, 2011 |title=Online Game Draws Attention—and Money—for the Needy |url=http://philanthropy.com/blogs/prospecting/online-game-draws-attention%E2%80%94and-money%E2%80%94for-the-needy/28750 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110215105323/https://www.philanthropy.com/blogs/prospecting/online-game-draws-attention%E2%80%94and-money%E2%80%94for-the-needy/28750 |archive-date=February 15, 2011 |access-date=January 11, 2012 |work=Prospecting |publisher=The Chronicle of Philanthropy}}</ref> |
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McKinney’s 1-member team<ref>{{cite web |url=http://philanthropy.com/blogs/prospecting/online-game-draws-attention%E2%80%94and-money%E2%80%94for-the-needy/28750 |title=Online Game Draws Attention—and Money—for the Needy |author=Flandez, Raymund |date=February 14, 2011 |work=Prospecting |publisher=The Chronicle of Philanthropy |accessdate=January 11, 2012}}</ref> noted that tens of millions of people each month play games like ''[[FarmVille]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mashable.com/2011/02/15/top-social-games/ |title=5 Top Social Games and Why They’re So Successful |author=Schreier, Jason |date=February 15, 2011 |work=Social Gaming Development Series |publisher=Mashable |accessdate=January 10, 2012}}</ref> and ''[[Mafia Wars]]'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.insidesocialgames.com/2009/04/07/mafia-wars-comes-to-the-iphone/ |title=Mafia Wars Comes to the iPhone |author=Mack, Christopher |date=April 7, 2009 |work=Inside Social Games |publisher=Inside Network |accessdate=January 11, 2012}}</ref> harvesting virtual crops and assembling a virtual crime family. They suspected that the characteristics of these fun [[social network game]]s could engage people in a powerful learning experience about the reality of poverty and homelessness lived daily by those helped by UMD. |
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''Spent'' uses real-life statistics as features, such as Durham’s fair market [[Renting|rent]] values to determine the game's housing prices. |
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The team created a brand-integrated online game that makes it personal and visceral just how thin the line is that separates even the most successful of us from the devastation of homelessness. The team conducted focus groups with UMD [[Caseworker (social work)|caseworkers]] and the families and residents assisted by them in order to glean the details necessary to construct real-life situations for ''Spent'' players to negotiate. |
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Donors have said the organization had endured many tough years to deliver the game. |
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== Release and acclaim == |
== Release and acclaim == |
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''Spent'' was released in February 2011.<ref name=":0" /> The game raised $45,000 from 25,000 new UMD donors in just over 10 months,<ref>{{cite video |people=Hampton, Angela |year=2012 |title=Urban Ministries of Durham |url=http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=8466939 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418074419/http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=8466939 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 18, 2012 |format=video |medium=Television production |publisher=ABC 11 Eyewitness News |access-date=January 11, 2012 |time=10:48 |quote=We have had donations from about 5,000 new donors totalling about $25,000 year to date. }}</ref> and received praise from [[CNN]],<ref>{{cite video |people=TED Ads Worth Spreading |year=2012 |title=Spent |url=https://www.youtube.com/tedaws?x=us_showcasephase2_8343_27 |format=video |access-date=January 11, 2012 }}</ref> [[ABC News (United States)|ABC]],<ref>{{cite video |date=February 16, 2011 |title=The Conversation: Homeless Simulation Game |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/conversation-homeless-simulation-game-forces-players-confront-tough/story?id=12931813#.TwNr-kq1LdU |format=video |medium=Television production |publisher=ABC News |access-date=January 11, 2012 }}</ref> and ''[[Fast Company]]''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fastcoexist.com/1678607/live-life-below-the-poverty-line-by-playing-spent |title=Live Life Below the Poverty Line by Playing Spent |author=Coren, Michael J. |date=October 5, 2011 |work=Co.Exist |publisher=Fast Company |access-date=January 11, 2012}}</ref> for its ability to increase awareness of poverty in an immersive social media setting. |
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In September 2011, McKinney and UMD launched a |
In September 2011, McKinney and UMD launched a petition to members of the [[United States Congress]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.petition2congress.com/5008/challenge-your-congresspeople-to-play-spent/?m=1988681 |title= Challenge Your Congresspeople to Play SPENT |date=August 29, 2011 |publisher=Petition2Congress |access-date=January 11, 2012}}</ref> to take ten minutes playing the game in order to "experience the challenges that more than 14 million Americans are facing". |
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As of December 2013, the game continued to get about 5,000 new plays each day. |
As of December 2013, the game continued to get about 5,000 new plays each day. An HTML version was released in July 2014. |
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Almost 2 million people had spent an average of 11:46 on the site.<ref name=":0">{{cite web|title=McKinney launches mobile version of SPENT|url=http://mckinney.com/news/mckinney-launches-mobile-version-of-spent|website=mckinney.com|publisher=McKinney|access-date=31 July 2014}}</ref> |
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== References == |
== References == |
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<references /> |
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{{Reflist}} |
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<!--- Categories ---> |
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== External links == |
== External links == |
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*[http://playspent.org/ Spent |
*[http://playspent.org/ Spent website] |
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[[Category:2011 video games]] |
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[[Category:Browser games]] |
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[[Category:Humanitarian video games]] |
[[Category:Humanitarian video games]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:Mobile games]] |
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[[Category:Video games about homelessness]] |
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[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]] |
[[Category:Video games developed in the United States]] |
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Latest revision as of 19:56, 18 November 2024
| Spent | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | McKinney |
| Publisher(s) | |
| Platform(s) | Browser, mobile |
| Release | February 2011 |
Spent (stylized SPENT) is an online game about poverty and homelessness. It was developed by advertising agency McKinney for their pro bono client Urban Ministries of Durham (UMD), a nonprofit organization in Durham, North Carolina that provides services to those in poverty.[1] Players must make the difficult decisions necessary to live for one month on $1000, often having to choose between equally disagreeable options, such as choosing between a healthy meal and working electricity, or covering the minimum on credit cards and paying the rent.
Spent was released for browser and mobile in February 2011. As of 2014, it has been played more than 4 million times.[2][needs update]
Gameplay
[edit]The player, a single parent in poverty, is given $1,000 to live on for one month; they must then select employment, each of which pays minimum wage. The goal is to end the month with some money left over. Throughout the game's one-month period, the player must make difficult decisions relating to housing, utilities, groceries, and lifestyle decisions, among others, to ensure their survival for at least the month, many of which have negative long-term consequences; for example, choosing to not renew vehicle registration (which costs a large sum of money) can lead to the player being pulled over, with the choice of paying fees or spending a work day attending court, which adds a job strike (three of which gets the player fired from their job), an additional long-term expense, and a reduced payday. Players have the option to use their real-life social media connections on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to ask a friend for assistance, serving as organic advertising for the website and personalizing the experience.
Certain decisions include short messages providing information about real statistics and poverty-related struggles; for example, after deciding whether to live closer to work (where the rent is high but the transportation costs low) or to live farther from work (where the rent is less expensive but the transportation costs are much higher), the player is shown the message "A lack of affordable housing is the number one cause of homelessness."
The game ends when the player eithers run out of money before the end of the month, makes it through with money left over, or chooses to end the game manually. The end screen notes that rent is still due and invites the player to "help someone living Spent today" by learning more about UMD and donating to the organization.
Development
[edit]McKinney’s 11-member development team noted that tens of millions of people each month played social network games like FarmVille and Mafia Wars. They suspected that the characteristics of these games could be used to educate people about the reality of poverty and homelessness. The team conducted focus groups with UMD caseworkers and the people assisted by them to research the factors necessary to construct the situations in Spent.[3]
Spent uses real-life statistics as features, such as Durham’s fair market rent values to determine the game's housing prices.
Donors have said the organization had endured many tough years to deliver the game.
Release and acclaim
[edit]Spent was released in February 2011.[4] The game raised $45,000 from 25,000 new UMD donors in just over 10 months,[5] and received praise from CNN,[6] ABC,[7] and Fast Company[8] for its ability to increase awareness of poverty in an immersive social media setting.
In September 2011, McKinney and UMD launched a petition to members of the United States Congress[9] to take ten minutes playing the game in order to "experience the challenges that more than 14 million Americans are facing".
As of December 2013, the game continued to get about 5,000 new plays each day. An HTML version was released in July 2014.
Almost 2 million people had spent an average of 11:46 on the site.[4]
References
[edit]- ^ "Mission, Values, History". Urban Ministries of Durham. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
- ^ "McKinney launches mobile version of SPENT" (PDF). Urban Ministries of Durham. Urban Ministries of Durham. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ Flandez, Raymund (February 14, 2011). "Online Game Draws Attention—and Money—for the Needy". Prospecting. The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Archived from the original on February 15, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
- ^ a b "McKinney launches mobile version of SPENT". mckinney.com. McKinney. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
- ^ Hampton, Angela (2012). Urban Ministries of Durham (Television production). ABC 11 Eyewitness News. Event occurs at 10:48. Archived from the original (video) on April 18, 2012. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
We have had donations from about 5,000 new donors totalling about $25,000 year to date.
- ^ TED Ads Worth Spreading (2012). Spent (video). Retrieved January 11, 2012.
- ^ The Conversation: Homeless Simulation Game (video) (Television production). ABC News. February 16, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
- ^ Coren, Michael J. (October 5, 2011). "Live Life Below the Poverty Line by Playing Spent". Co.Exist. Fast Company. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
- ^ "Challenge Your Congresspeople to Play SPENT". Petition2Congress. August 29, 2011. Retrieved January 11, 2012.