A Housing Simulator Where San Francisco Says No
The review documents a game whose stated premise is that the city side does not want the city built, and its mechanics are drawn from real contested sites and real policy changes.
Reporting from 1 source: GIGAZINE.
A browser game called Discretionary Review casts the player as a San Francisco housing developer. Starting in January 2015 on the default Developer setting, the player files a 55-unit proposal at 2918 Mission St., faces resident opposition, a protected-tree review, and a mid-2016 affordable housing rule, and fails the first investor goal by January 2017 with 34 units left standing.
The game runs on a monthly clock at adjustable speed, with funds and expenses across the top and a San Francisco map marking land that was contested in the real world. Clicking a plot explains it; clicking each proposal brings up its numbers. A button in the corner compares the in-game law at that moment with real-world events.
A 55-unit, 6-story condominium at 2918 Mission St. carries a 36 million dollar construction cost and a projected 45 million dollar value and 26 percent return, above the investors' 12 percent benchmark. By January 2017 the first investor goal is unmet.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.