A Simulated Game of Life: An Example Game
Disclaimer: I do not own The Game of Life or any of Hasbro's other board games. This is a fan-made experiment in which a full-length Game of Life is simulated, while mostly following the original rule set.
As an expert on the various incarnations of Hasbro's Game of Life, I have been toying with the idea of posting a simulated game on this blog. Well, I've finally gone ahead with it, and to start off, I will simulate a six-player game using the Generation III rule set, using a random number generator to simulate each spin (which is equivalent to rolling a 10-sided die), career choice, and most major decisions. The only rule changes are that the Police Officer's special ability has been removed, and there is an infinite supply of Share the Wealth Cards, thereby bringing it in line with its video game adaptations. Moreover, Pay Cards can be used immediately after landing on a Pay Space whose value is not divisible by 10,000 - more on which below. On top of that, baby gifts are now valued at $5,000 per child, instead of $5,000 per space (which means that any player who lands on a Twins space will receive a baby gift of $10,000 from every other player). Finally, there is an infinite supply of money for the bank(er) to provide to every player over the course of the game - also just like the video game.
Why am I Doing This?
As far as I am aware, no other person has done it before. Moreover, a typical play session in The Game of Life lasts no more than 3-4 hours on average depending on the version. This simulated playthrough is therefore slower-paced, but this leaves much more time for analyzing the state of play in between rounds - a round is a complete cycle of turns, so the more players there are, the more turns will be required to complete a round. In addition, for each and every single round of a game, I will list every turn in chronological order.
How the Random Number System Works
Spins will be determined using a random number generator (taken from here), as are most major decisions, Share the Wealth Card selections, and Life Tile values. The system is as follows:
- Any spin for movement along the board is represented by a random number from 1 to 10.
- Share the Wealth Cards: 1 = Pay Card; 2 = Collect Card; 3 = Exemption Card; 4 = Spin to Win x2; 5 = Spin to Win x4.
- Spin to Win: Same as for movement along the board, except repeat 2 or 4 times if a player has the corresponding Spin to Win Card. In such cases, if the same number occurs again, generate another number until the required number of unique values has been generated.
- Life Tile values (only after retirement): 1 = $10,000; 2 = $20,000; 3 = $30,000; 4 = $40,000; 5 = $50,000. If no Tiles of a particular denomination remain, you may generate another random integer within this range until it matches a denomination of which there is at least one tile left.
- Career and College Career choice: 1-6, in which the higher the number, the more lucrative the career is. For each career type, decrease the maximum value by 1 every time a career of that type is chosen. If the same number occurs again when choosing College Careers, generate another number.
- Start College or Start Career: 0 or 1, where 0 indicates Start Career and 1 indicates Start College (which requires a loan of $100,000, for a total debt of $125,000).
- Return to School: 1 = return to school (which requires a $50,000 payment); 0 = no return to school.
- Change Career or Get $20,000 Pay Raise: 0 = $20,000 Pay Raise; 1 = Change Career.
- Twins: 0 = two boys; 1 = 1 boy and 1 girl; 2 = 2 girls.
- Take the Family Path: 1 = Family Path; 0 = no Family Path.
- Safe or Risky Path: 1 = Risky Path; 0 = Safe Path.
- Color choice: 1 = red; 2 = orange; 3 = yellow; 4 = green; 5 = blue; 6 = purple. After a particular color is selected, decrease the maximum value by 1, and adjust all other color positions accordingly if necessary (the last color remaining will be assigned to the last remaining player when only one color remains).
- Long-Term Investments (LTIs): 1-9. If a number has already been chosen, generate another number until an unused one comes up.
Note that this system does not apply to buying a Starter Home or House, since for each of these, players should be allowed to manually choose the one they want when the opportunity arises to buy them. Also, players should also be allowed to decide whether or not they want to use a Collect Card whenever they are able to do so.
Career Card Shortages
Sometimes, there may be too few Career Cards of a particular type available for selection. This is resolved as follows:
- If only one College Career is available, it will be selected automatically.
- If no other regular Careers are available after a player loses their job, their current one will not be replaced (although Pay Raises will still be lost).
- If no College Careers are available when a player reaches the Change Career space, that player will automatically receive a $20,000 Pay Raise.
Share the Wealth Card Key: P = Pay Card; C = Collect Card; X = Exemption Card; S2W2 = Spin To Win x2; S2W4 = Spin to Win x4.
Career Tax Rate and Salary Range Guide
As per the standard rules, the careers' salary ranges (with the lower value indicating the initial salary, and the upper value showing the maximum salary where applicable) - note that salaries are collected when passing over or landing on a Pay Day or Pay Raise space - and tax rates (the values of which are paid only when landing on Taxes Due spaces) are as follows. Please note that Pay Raises add $10,000 to any Career, regardless of type. Careers in bold denote College Careers, which require a College Degree to obtain. In any case, a player with a career whose salary has already reached its maximum value will not receive a Pay Raise upon landing on or passing over a Pay Raise space.
- Salesperson: $20k-$50k, taxes $5k.
- Mechanic and Hair Stylist: $30k-$60k each, taxes $10k.
- Police Officer and Teacher: $40k-$70k each, taxes $15k.
- Entertainer: $50k and up (no maximum salary), taxes $20k.
- Athlete: $60k and up (no maximum salary), taxes $25k.
- Computer Designer: $50k-$80k, taxes $20k.
- Accountant: $70k-$110k, taxes $30k.
- Veterinarian: $80k-$120k, taxes $35k.
- Lawyer: $90k and up (no maximum salary), taxes $40k.
- Doctor: $100k and up (no maximum salary), taxes $45k.
Prologue
In this example game, we have six players: Bob, John, Ernie, Mary, Rachel and Joan. I have deliberately chosen these names in honor of the video game adaptation of this version of the Game of Life, which used these exact names (among others) for its avatars. Their movers' colors are as follows:
- Bob: Red
- John: Orange
- Ernie: Blue
- Mary: Purple
- Rachel: Green
- Joan: Yellow
These players will now spin to see who goes first. Bob, John, Ernie, Mary, Rachel and Joan spun a 4, 9, 3, 1, 5 and 9 respectively. That means John and Joan must spin again, and this time John spun a 10, which means that he will spin first, followed by Joan, and then by Rachel, Bob, Ernie and Mary (in that order. Now the players will receive $10,000 and three Share the Wealth Cards each. The random generator will be used to generate a set of three cards for each player as stated above, with the process being repeated for each player until they have all received their cards. After several rounds of random generation, the cards that each player will start with are as follows:
- John: 1 Pay Card, 1 Exemption Card, and 1 Spin to Win x2 Card.
- Joan: 2 Collect Cards and 1 Spin to Win x2 Card.
- Rachel: 1 Collect Card, 1 Spin to Win x2 Card, and 1 Spin to Win x4 card.
- Bob: 1 Pay Card and 2 Collect Cards.
- Ernie: 2 Pay Cards and 1 Spin to Win x4 Card.
- Mary: 3 Exemption Cards.
The game will now begin.
Round 1
All players start with $10,000 and 3 Share the Wealth Cards, the types of which are shown above.
John goes first. He chooses a career and draws the Athlete Career Card, which has an initial salary of $60,000. He decides to buy a Long-Term Investment on number 5, and makes his first spin - which turns out to be a 10. By the end of his turn, he has $120,000 in his possession along with a Life Tile, which he received for volunteering at a soup kitchen.
Next is Joan. She goes to college at the start, borrowing $100,000 for tuition fees in the process, and spins a 10. At Career Choice, she draws the Veterinarian and Doctor College Career Cards, eventually choosing the latter for its $100,000 starting salary. She then buys a Long-Term Investment on number 1, and then spins again. This time, she spins a 2, earning $100,000 and a Life Tile (for adopting a pet from an animal shelter) in the process.
It is now Rachel's turn. She follows Joan by going to college at the start ($100,000 debt and all), buys a Long-Term Investment on number 8, and spins a 4, receiving $10,000 for a part-time job. However, Joan and Bob have at least one Collect Card each in their inventories. After pondering whether or not to use them, both players decide to use their cards, and spin to decide who gets to do so. Joan spins a 3, while Bob spins a 2, and so it is the former who uses a Collect Card on Rachel, ensuring that both players receive $5,000 each; as a result, Joan is left with $105,000.
Bob is up next. He chooses a career, just like John, but this time he ends up with the Salesperson Career Card, the least lucrative one of them all. He shrugs, buys a Long-Term Investment on number 3, and spins a 6. He receives a Share the Wealth Card - which turns out to be a Pay Card. He finishes his turn with $40,000.
Now for Ernie's turn. He goes to college, debt and all, buys a Long-Term Investment on number 4, and spins a 4. His turn ends with him having gained $5,000 from his investment and a Life Tile - which he earned for a semester in London.
Last but not least is Mary. She chooses a career, and to her surprise (and relief) she draws the Entertainer Career Card, with a starting salary of $50,000. She buys a Long-Term Investment on number 2 right before spinning a 7. This leaves her with $100,000 and a Life Tile (which she earned from getting engaged).
Round Summary: At the end of the first round, John, Mary and Joan are in a good position, with their high-paying careers. On the other hand, Bob is already in deep trouble; he started with the least lucrative career possible, but all is not yet lost for him if he can turn things around later on. Rachel and Ernie, meanwhile, are currently unknown quantities, since they have not graduated from college yet.
Round 2
The players' inventories at the start of this round are as follows:
- John: Athlete ($60k), cash $120k, 1 Life Tile, 3 STW Cards (1P, 1X, 1 S2W2), LTI number 5.
- Joan: Doctor ($100k), cash $105k, debt $125k, 1 Life Tile, 2 STW Cards (1C,1 S2W2), LTI number 1.
- Rachel: No career yet, cash $5k, debt $125k, 0 Life Tiles, 3 STW Cards (1C, 1 S2W2, 1 S2W4), LTI number 8.
- Bob: Salesperson ($20k), cash $40k, 0 Life Tiles, 4 STW Cards (2P, 2C), LTI number 3.
- Ernie: No career yet, cash $5k, debt $125k, 1 Life Tile, 3 STW Cards (2P, 1 S2W4), LTI number 4.
- Mary: Entertainer ($50k), cash $100k, 1 Life Tile, 3 STW Cards (3X), LTI number 2.
John spins a 3, causing Bob to receive $5,000 from his Long-Term Investment. He receives $60,000 from a Pay Day, along with an additional $10,000 for winning a race - but Rachel and Bob both choose to use a Collect Card on him. Rachel spins a 2, but Bob spins a 6 and collects $5,000 from John, who now has $185,000 in his possession compared to Bob's relatively pitiful $45,000.
Joan pays $100,000 in debt, then spins a 7. By landing on a Pay Day space, she finishes her turn with $105,000 - the same amount with which she started it.
Rachel spins a 5, receiving a Life Tile for Graduation Day in the process, and at the same time, John now has $190,000 in his account thanks to his Long-Term Investment.
Bob spins a 4, causing him to earn a Life Tile for volunteering at a soup kitchen, and Ernie to receive $5,000 from his Long-Term Investment.
Ernie spins a 10 and finally graduates. He draws the Lawyer and Teacher College Career Cards, and immediately chooses the latter for its $90,000 starting salary. He spins again, and again he gets a 10. This takes him straight to marriage and a Life Tile. He then spins for wedding gifts, but doesn't receive any because he spun a 1 (which also gives Joan a $5,000 investment return). He spins yet again, this time getting a 2 (which gives Mary an investment return of her own), and he receives yet another Life Tile for a happy honeymoon. After paying off all his debt, he now has $65,000 left in his account.
Now for Mary's turn. She spins a 3, which causes Bob to receive $5,000 from his Long-Term Investment for the second time this round. As for Mary, she receives another Life Tile for her engagement party, and now has $105,000.
Round Summary: Ernie graduated and got married, but apart from this, the status quo remains mostly unchanged.
Round 3
The players' inventories at the start of this round are as follows:
John spins a 9 and gets married, earning a Life Tile for his troubles. His next spin is not quite as good; he spins a 1 and therefore does not receive any wedding gifts (on the other hand, Joan is contented with the $5,000 she has just received from her Long-Term Investment). To make matters worse, his next spin lands him on a Taxes Due space - after paying $25,000 in taxes, he has $225,000 in the bank. At least he has a Pay Raise, making him the first player in this game to receive one.
Joan spins a 4 (Ernie's investment number), becoming the second player to get married after John. Her next spin is a 1, which means she doesn't get any wedding gifts either, although she does receive a Life Tile and $5,000 in Long-Term Investment returns. She pays off the rest of her debt, then spins. This time it's a 6, which puts her on a Pay Raise space, ultimately leaving her with $190,000.
Rachel spins a 1 (which gives Joan an extra $5,000 in Long-Term Investment returns) and finally graduates from college. At Career Choice, she draws the Teacher and Accountant College Career Cards, and takes the latter due to its higher starting salary ($70,000 versus $40,000 for the Teacher). On her next spin, she gets an 8, collecting $5,000 from her Long-Term Investment in the process in addition to a Life Tile for an engagement party. She now has $80,000 in cash by the end of this turn.
Bob spins a 2, causing him to elope (which takes him to the Get Married space via a Pay Day space), and Mary to collect $5,000 in Long-Term Investment returns. Having just received a Life Tile, Bob spins again; this time it's a 4, which means he does not receive any wedding gifts (and to add insult to injury, Ernie also received a further $5,000 from his Long-Term Investment). He then spins a 10, taking him to the Buy a Starter Home space via a Pay Raise space. He chooses the Mobile Home, since it's the only one he can afford. He ends the turn by spinning another 2 - and loses his job and Pay Raise in the process. His new career is as a Mechanic with a starting salary of $30,000. All of this elicits no reaction from Mary, who once again receives $5,000 from her Long-Term Investment.
Ernie spins a 4, thereby receiving $5,000 from his Long-Term Investment. He passes the first Pay Raise space, before choosing to buy the Small Cape for $160,000. This uses up most of his cash on hand, but he remains confident that he can win. He spins again, and this time it's a 6. This puts him on a Pay Day space, for which he receives $100,000 from his salary (including his newly acquired Pay Raise).
Mary spins a 5 (which gives John an extra $5,000 in Long-Term Investment returns) taking her past a Pay Day space and to the Get Married space. She receives a Life Tile, then spins for wedding gifts. She is overjoyed to find out that this time, it's a 10 - which means that she receives $10,000 in wedding gifts from her opponents. On her next spin, she gets a 10, which not only yields a Pay Raise but also a choice of Starter Homes. She buys the most expensive one available - the Tudor Style - and spins again. This time it's a 2, and Mary has to pay $5,000 for a flat-screen plasma TV, negating one of her Long-Term Investment returns from this round of turns.
Round Summary: Bob's situation has not improved much, if at all, and in fact he is in debt for the first time in this game. Rachel is holding firm but has not yet married. John and Joan are about to buy a Starter Home, but Bob, Ernie and Mary have already done so. The latter two are shaping up to be the greatest threats to John and Joan's success - for now.
Round 4
The players' inventories at the start of this round are as follows:
John starts his turn by spinning a 5, giving him $5,000 from his Long-Term Investment. He buys the Ranch Style for $140,000 (leaving him with $85,000), then spins again. His next spin is a 9, which causes him to receive $100,000 for winning the Ultimate Idol TV Show. Thanks to his use of an Exemption Card (which negated Joan's Collect Card), he now has $255,000.
Joan, slightly miffed at the fact that she couldn't get a share of John's winnings from her recently used Collect Card, spins a 6, and buys the Log Cabin, leaving her with $60,000. She spins a 5 (adding $5,000 to John's bank account in the process), and has to pay $5,000 to furnish her baby's room, leaving her with $55,000.
Rachel spins a 10, taking her straight to marriage and another Life Tile via a Pay Day space. She then spins a 9, collecting $10,000 from every other player in the process. Immediately afterwards, she pays off her entire debt, reducing her cash on hand to $65,000; she spins yet again, and this time it's another 10, which allows her to not only collect her first Pay Raise, but also buy the Condo, the last remaining unsold Starter Home. With $35,000 left in her bank account, she makes her last spin of the turn. She ends up having twins (twin boys in this case), and thanks to receiving $10,000 per player in wedding gifts, she now has $165,000.
It is now Bob's turn. He spins an 8 (which is Rachel's Long-Term Investment number), passing a Pay Day space in the process, but soon after has to pay $20,000 for the best seats at the big game. He seizes the opportunity to use a Pay Card on John, causing both of them to pay $10,000 instead. This leaves the beleaguered hair stylist with $30,000 - just barely enough to repay his small but significant debt.
Ernie has already lost $20,000 to Rachel in gifts by now, but he recovers some of it on his spin of 4. He receives a Life Tile for attending a Hollywood movie premiere, and despite only having $85,000 in his bank account by the end of his turn, feels a bit better now.
The round ends with Mary spinning a 5 (which gives John another $5,000 Long-Term Investment return). She now has $115,000 to go with the Life Tile she acquired for choosing to vote.
Round Summary: Everyone has gotten married and bought a Starter Home - Rachel even had twins for good measure. John is still in the lead, but everyone else is breathing down his neck - except for poor Bob, who is already a long way behind.
Round 5
The players' inventories at the start of this round are as follows:
John's turn begins with him spinning a 9. He receives $70k for passing a Pay Day space, taking him to $315,000, before landing on a Spin to Win space. Bob passes on the opportunity, but everyone else takes part and bets $50,000 each (except for Joan, who only bets $35,000), with Mary the only one not to have (and therefore be able to use) a Spin to Win Card. John chooses 8 and 9; Joan chooses 3 and 2; Rachel chooses 6, 10, 7 and 2; Ernie chooses 7, 9, 1 and 5; and Mary chooses a 4. John takes a deep breath and spins... and to his surprise and horror, he spins a 4, which means it's Mary who wins a whopping $500,000 from Spin to Win! She laughs with glee as her bank account is boosted to $610,000. On the other hand, John, Joan, Rachel and Ernie all shake their fists furiously at having to pay $50,000 each for losing their Spin to Win wagers. Bob, meanwhile, is completely nonplussed - he had no Spin to Win cards, and could not risk incurring any further debts.
Joan, shocked at having lost all of her cash on hand to a failed Spin to Win, spins a 10, taking her past one Pay Day space before landing on the next one. She now has $220,000.
Rachel spins a 9, and is horrified to find out that she has suddenly lost her job! Worse yet, she ends up with the Hair Stylist Career Card, which is one of the least lucrative of all. Her face fell, and even though she has $250,000 to spare at the end of her turn, she is resigned to the conclusion that winning this game may be much more difficult than she thought.
Bob spins a 6, which takes him to a Lawsuit space. He immediately sues Mary, who slaps him in the face with an Exemption Card. At least his $50,000 will be enough for him to pay off his debt - but at what cost?.
Ernie spins a 2, giving Mary another Long-Term Investment return. He receives a Share the Wealth card, and to his relief it turns out to be a Spin to Win x4 Card - the same type he had used unsuccessfully earlier.
Last but not least is Mary. She spins a 10, earning $60,000 from her salary, and ends up on the Return to School space. She then decides to return to school for $50,000. She spins a 1, causing herself to take a double course load for extra credit - which in the context of The Game of Life, equates to an extra spin. This time it's a 6, which takes her to the Change Career space. However, she wisely takes the $20,000 Pay Raise, and spins again. Her final spin is a 1, which puts her on a Lawsuit space. Her final action for this turn is to sue Rachel for $100,000, putting her rival on the back foot in the process. The turn concludes with her having a staggering $730,000 - well ahead of her nearest competitors. However, Joan received an extra $10,000 in Long-Term Investments during this round as well.
Round Summary: Anything can happen in the Game of Life, and this time it was something totally unexpected: Not only did Rachel lose her job (and a huge amount of money), but Mary, theoretically the least likely of the top contenders to win the game, jumped out into a huge lead by winning $500,000 from Spin to Win, leaving her rivals to lick their wounds. There is still a long way to go, though.
Round 6
The players' inventories at the start of this round are as follows:
John, still trying to put the disappointment of the first Spin to Win behind him, spins a 7, then decides to pay $50,000 to return to school. He then spins a 5, and receives a Life Tile for joining an Honor Society. Understandably, he feels slightly less disappointed at the end of this turn than at the end of the previous one, what with him having $220,000 in the bank and all..
Joan spins an 8, giving Rachel a Long-Term Investment return. Unlike John, she decides to continue on the Path of Life, feeling that she is already content with her job, and spins again. This time it's a 2, which gives Mary a Long-Term Investment return. As for Joan, she gets a Life Tile for visiting her in-laws.
Rachel is utterly shaken after the last round of turns proved to be disastrous for her, but decides to carry on anyway, and spins another 8, earning another Long-Term Investment in the process. She, like John, pays $50,000 to return to school, but then spins a 6 and has to pay $5,000 for going to a summer seminar, leaving her with $55,000.
Bob pays his debt, then spins a 7 and decides to continue on the Path of Life. He then spins an 8, giving Rachel yet another Long-Term Investment return, and earns a Life Tile for running for Congress. In addition to this, he passed a Pay Raise space, bringing his cash on hand to $55,000.
Ernie spins a 5 (John's investment number). He zooms past a Pay Day space and collects his $100,000 salary, only to land on one of those dreaded Lose your Job spaces. Understandably bitter at this twist of fate, he takes a regular Career Card - and to his horror, it's the Salesperson Career Card, which is the less lucrative of the two options available to him.
Mary also spins a 5 (again, John's investment number), passing a Pay Day space in the process. She ends the turn with an extra Share the Wealth Card in her possession along with $815,000 in the bank. The card turns out to be an Exemption Card - it could come in handy later.
Round Summary: Everyone is desperately trying to catch up to Mary, but against the expected run of form, Ernie has lost his job, and with it, any chance of winning. Or has he? We'll find out in short order. At any rate, unless anyone manages to stop Mary from running away with it at the front, this game could turn into a massacre.
Round 7
The players' inventories at the start of this round are as follows:
John spins a 7 and takes the $20,000 Pay Raise. He spins a 3 (which is Bob's Long-Term Investment number) and lands on a Pay Day space, earning $90,000 from his salary in the process and bringing his total for this turn to $320,000.
Joan spins a 10, passing a Pay Raise space, followed by a regular Pay Day space, and lands on the space that tells her she's won $100,000 on a TV game show. Rachel uses a Collect Card to ensure that they split the winnings 50/50 (both players receive $50,000 each). Joan therefore has $510,000 at the end of this turn.
Rachel spins a 3 (which gives Bob a Long-Term Investment return), then decides to take the $20,000 Pay Raise as John did two turns earlier. She spins a 1, giving Joan a Long-Term Investment return, and sues Ernie, of all people, for $100,000 just to discourage him from returning to school. She now has $210,000 in her bank account.
Bob spins a 4 (giving Ernie a Long-Term Investment return) and lands on a Lawsuit space. He sues Mary for $100,000, but she nullifies it with an Exemption Card. He ends his turn with $100,000.
Ernie also spins a 4 and gets another Long-Term Investment return in addition to the one he picked up on Bob's most recent turn. He continues on the Path of Life and spins a 9, receiving a Pay Raise and a Life Tile (earned for running for Congress) for his troubles. He now has $60,000 in his bank account, but he has emptied the draw pile in doing so. Therefore, from this turn onwards, anyone attempting to acquire a Life Tile will now have to take one from an opponent if possible.
Mary spins a 9 and passes yet another Pay Raise space. She once again lands on a Lawsuit space and immediately sues Bob as retaliation for attempting to sue her two turns earlier. This puts her bank account at $1,005,000 (nearly twice as much as the next wealthiest player), making her the first player in this game to reach the million-dollar mark.
Round Summary: By now, Rachel, Bob and Ernie have fallen so far behind that, to all intents and purposes, they are out of contention unless their luck improves massively later on. Only two players (John and Joan) have a realistic chance of catching up to Mary, but can either of them pull it off? We'll have to wait and see.
Round 8
The players' inventories at the start of this round are as follows:
To start things off, John spins a 6. He is forced to pay $20,000 for an art auction, but uses a Pay Card on Joan, thereby forcing both players to pay $10,000 each. This leaves our audacious athlete with $310,000.
Joan also spins a 6. She passes a Pay Raise space, taking her total cash to $630,000. She has to take the kids to sports camp for a payment of $5,000 per child - but without children, she has nothing to pay.
Rachel spins a 2 and lands on a Pay Day space. She ends her turn with $260,000. In addition to this, Mary receives $5,000 from her Long-Term investment.
Bob spins a 9, and in doing so, passes over a Pay Raise space, but is forced to pay $40,000 for buying an SUV. His bank account is still empty, so he uses a Pay Card on Mary, who slaps him in the face with an Exemption Card.
Ernie spins a 10. He passes a Pay Day space and a Pay Raise space only to land on a Taxes Due space. After paying $5,000 in taxes, he has $115,000 to spare.
Mary spins a 7, taking her to another Lawsuit space. She sues Rachel for $100,000. By the end of her turn, Mary has $1,200,000.
Round Summary: Mary is still in front by some margin after that last lawsuit. Joan is catching up, but time is running out. John is firmly in third, but behind him there is an intense fight brewing for the title of "best of the rest".
Round 9
The players' inventories at the start of this round are as follows:
John spins a 2 (giving Mary a Long-Term Investment return), passes a Pay Raise space, and earns a Life Tile for visiting the Grand Canyon. He chooses to take a Life Tile from Ernie - an unsurprising decision given that he has more Life Tiles than any other player. He ends his turn with $400,000.
Joan spins a 1, causing her to receive a Long-Term Investment return. She pays $40,000 for a donation to African orphans, and takes another Life Tile from Ernie, leaving her with $595,000.
Rachel spins an 8. She picks up her last Pay Raise and is approached to send her kids to sports camp - but without any children, she has nothing to pay. She now has $215,000.
Bob spins a 6. He passes a Pay Day space and considers summer school for his children - but he doesn't have any, and therefore doesn't have to pay anything. He now has $50,000.
Ernie spins a 5. He pays $40,000 for a brand-new SUV, but thanks to using a Pay Card on his closest rival Bob, both players pay $20,000 each, leaving Ernie with $95,000.
Mary spins a 4, causing Ernie to receive another Long-Term Investment return. She continues on the Path of Life and spins a 3, receiving a Life Tile (which she takes from Rachel) for learning CPR along with a Pay Raise. She now has $1,295,000 to go with her 5 Life Tiles.
Round Summary: Ernie has lost two of his Life Tiles to players who wanted them badly. He is now effectively locked into a rivalry with Bob for the wooden spoon, with Rachel now firmly in fourth. The top three remain unchanged, however.
Round 10
The players' inventories at the start of this round are as follows:
John spins a 10. He passes a Pay Day space and earns $100,000 for being a TV dance show winner. Bob doesn't take it well and immediately uses a Collect Card on him, ensuring that he gets a $50,000 share of the winnings. He now has $555,000.
Joan also spins a 10 and decides not to take the Family Path. She spins a 1, earning a Long-Term Investment return, but has to pay $30,000 for a home gym. This leaves her cash on hand at $690,000.
Rachel's spin is yet another 10, taking her past a Pay Day space and onto the Path of Life (which she chose voluntarily). She spins a 5 (John's investment number), passing a Pay Raise space (although with her salary at its maximum value, she cannot obtain any more Pay Raises) and landing on Spin to Win. This time, John and Joan choose 2 and 5, respectively; Rachel picks 7 and 10 (thanks to her Spin to Win x2 Card), Bob selects 3, Ernie takes 1, 6, 9 and 10 (due to having a Spin to Win x4 Card), and last but not least, Mary goes for 8. Unlike in the last Spin to Win, everyone bets $50,000. Rachel makes a Spin to Win... and the spinner lands on 2, giving John $500,000 while everyone else has to pay $50,000 each, although Mary takes some solace in getting a Long-Term Investment return. As for Rachel, she now has $285,000.
Bob spins a 2 before continuing on the Path of Life. He spins another 1 (which means that on this turn, both Joan and Mary received a Long-Term Investment return each) and lands on a Pay Raise space, collecting his third and last Pay Raise and leaving him with $80,000.
Ernie spins a 7, continues on the Path of Life, and spins a 9. He collects his final Pay Raise, then passes a Pay Day space, but immediately afterwards has to buy a lakeside cabin for $120,000. He uses his Pay Card on Mary - but to his dismay, Mary uses her last remaining Exemption Card on him, forcing him to pay full price and leaving him with $20,000.
Mary, shocked that John has suddenly erased most (but not all) of her lead, spins a 1 (Joan's investment number). She buys a foreign sports car for $30,000, leaving her with $1,225,000.
Round Summary: Suddenly the game has become a much more competitive affair. John has just won big in Spin to Win and narrowed the gap to Mary. Joan is in a distant third, Rachel and Ernie fell victim to the commentator's curse, and Bob may never really get going at all without several strokes of good luck. However, there is still some way to go before the conclusion of this game, during which anything can happen.
Round 11
The players' inventories at the start of this round are as follows. From this round onward, Share the Wealth Cards are no longer shown in inventories due to all players having used up all such cards and passed the last Take a Share the Wealth Card space.
John spins a 6, continues on the Path of Life, and then spins a 10. He passes two Pay Day spaces (the first of which is a Pay Raise space), then sues Joan for $100,000, elevating his bank account to $1,370,000, which keeps him in contention for the lead for now.
Joan spins a 5 (John's investment number), passing a Pay Raise space, and collects $500,000 for finding buried treasure. She ends her turn with $1,180,000.
Rachel spins a 4. Ernie gets a Long-Term Investment return, and Rachel passes a Pay Day space, before taking back a Life Tile from Mary. She now has $345,000.
Bob spins an 8, from which Rachel receives a Long-Term Investment return of her own. He passes a Pay Day space before earning a Life Tile (which he takes from Rachel) for adopting a pet from an animal shelter, and now has $140,000 in his bank account.
Ernie spins a 3, which gives Bob another Long-Term Investment return. He collects $100,000 for winning a Nobel Prize, taking his total to $280,000.
Mary spins a 10, taking her past a Pay Day space. She trades in her Tudor Style (which she sells for $200,000) for a Mansion (which costs $800,000), then spins again. She spins a 9, passing two Pay Day spaces (the latter of which is a Pay Raise space) and receives $20,000 of tax refunds. She ends her turn with $945,000.
Round Summary: This game is now a real three-cornered fight between John, Mary and Joan. With Mary the first player to trade in her Starter Home for a new House, this could spark a wave of house trade-ins.
Round 12
The players' inventories at the start of this round are as follows. No further career changes can occur from this round onward due to every player having passed the last Lose your Job space.
John goes first as usual. He spins a 4 (giving Ernie a Long-Term Investment return), then trades in his Ranch Style for a Penthouse Suite - a trade-in costing $540,000. He then spins a 7, passing a Pay Day space, but then has to buy a sailboat for $30,000. He ends his turn with $910,000 in his bank account, which means he's not far behind Mary anymore.
Joan starts her turn by spinning a 7. She passes a Pay Day space, then trades in her Log Cabin for a Luxury Mountain Retreat. She has $860,000 by the time she leaves the Buy a Better Home space. She spins a 4 (again, Ernie's Long-Term Investment number), passing another Pay Day space in the process, and receives a further $200,000 for writing a best-selling book, taking her total by the end of her turn to $1,200,000. In fact, she ends her turn in the outright lead if house values are included in players' net worth.
Rachel spins an 8 and earns a Long-Term Investment. She trades in her Condo for a Modern Victorian, borrowing $40,000 from the bank to cover the payment, and knowing that she could pay off the resulting debt (including interest) quickly. She spins a 6, passing a Pay Day space, and sues Joan for $100,000. She ends her turn with $160,000, not counting her $50,000 debt.
Bob spins a 4, which means that Ernie received yet another Long-Term Investment return. He trades in his Mobile Home for a Double Wide + RV, borrowing $80,000 to make this trade-in successful. He spins another 4, providing Ernie with yet another Long-Term Investment return, and passes a Pay Day space, before landing on a space that required him to pay $50,000 for sending the kids to college - but he has nothing to pay due to not having any children. He ends his turn with $65,000 but is now $100,000 in debt.
Ernie spins a 5, giving John a Long-Term Investment return. He trades in his Small Cape for an Executive Cape and spins again. He then spins a 7, passing a Pay Day space before landing on a Pay Raise space, although he no longer has any room for any more Pay Raises. He now has $180,000.
Mary spins a 6, then chooses to take the Risky Path of Life - a no-brainer given that her confidence level is still at an all-time high. She spins a 7, passing a Pay Day space, then sues Joan for $100,000, thus ending her turn with $1,165,000.
Round Summary: Mary has responded to the threat from John and Joan by suing the latter. Now that everyone has traded in their Starter Home for a new House, we are approaching the closing stages of this game, and an exciting conclusion is virtually guaranteed.
Round 13
The players' inventories at the start of this round are as follows:
John goes first. He spins an 8 and passes a Pay Raise space, then takes the Risky Path of Life. He spins a 10, and earns a Life Tile for being a grandparent. He chooses to take a tile from Bob and ends his turn with $1,145,000 thanks to the Pay Day space he passed over on the Risky Path.
Joan, still shaken from being sued twice in the previous round of turns, spins an 8 (which means , passing a Pay Raise space in the process, before taking the Safe Path of Life. She spins a 1 (her Long-Term Investment Number) and has to pay $25,000 for taking her family on a theme park vacation (although she does not have to pay an additional $5,000 per child due to not having any children of her own), leaving her with $1,120,000.
Rachel, having received two Long-Term Investment returns so far this round, pays off her debt right away, then spins a 7, passing a Pay Raise space (ignoring the Pay Raise). She takes the Risky Path of Life, then spins again. This time it's a 9. She passes another Pay Day space, but has to pay $80,000 for redecorating her home. She ends her turn with $160,000 - the exact same amount as she had at the start of this round.
Bob spins a 3, passing the Pay Raise space that Ernie is currently occupying. He receives a tax refund worth $10,000 in addition to his Long-Term Investment return, and ends his turn with $140,000.
Ernie spins a 10 and takes the Risky Path of Life. His next spin is a 5, giving John a Long-Term Investment return. He passes a Pay Day space but is forced to pay a whopping $100,000 to undergo cosmetic surgery. He now has $130,000 left in his bank account.
Mary spins a 7. She passes a Pay Day space, then receives a Life Tile for hosting a family reunion. She chooses to take a Life Tile from Bob to avoid irritating her closest rivals too much. By the end of this round, she has $1,275,000.
Round Summary: The dramatic conclusion we had been awaiting for so long but almost didn't get has finally arrived. Mary is in a tight three-way battle against John and Joan for the overall lead. Meanwhile, the fight for fourth place is equally competitive, with Rachel having only a little more cash on hand than Ernie or Bob.
Round 14
The players' inventories at the start of this round are as follows:
John goes first and spins a 10. He passes two Pay Day spaces (the last of which is the final Pay Raise space) before receiving a Life Tile (which he takes from Ernie) for visiting the Great Wall of China. He now has $1,390,000.
Joan also spins a 10. She passes two Pay Day spaces (taking her total to $1,420,000) before receiving a Life Tile (which she takes from Rachel) for becoming a grandparent.
Rachel spins an 8 (her Long-Term Investment number). She passes a Pay Day space (which increases her cash on hand to $225,000 if the effect of her Long-Term Investment is factored in), then receives a Life Tile (which she takes from Ernie) for going hiking in the European Alps.
Bob pays off the debt he incurred while trading up to a better house, then spins a 6. He takes the Safe Path and spins a 10. He passes over two Pay Day spaces, but has to pay $65,000 for hiring a maid and butler service, leaving him with $85,000.
Ernie spins an 8. This takes him past a Pay Day space (and yields another Long-Term Investment return for Rachel), but he lands on the space immediately after it and is shocked to discover he has to pay $125,000 to sponsor a public arts exhibit. He thus ends his turn with $105,000.
Mary spins a 10 and passes the final Pay Raise space. She earns another Life Tile (which she takes from Bob) for becoming a grandparent. At the end of this round, she has $1,385,000 in her bank account.
Round Summary: It could be too little, too late for John, who trails Mary by just $5,000 on paper, but is stuck with a less valuable house. Joan is still within striking distance of victory, but if the next round doesn't go her way, she could fall at the last hurdle.
Round 15
The players' inventories at the start of this round are as follows. Note that this is the first round in which any player has a chance of retiring.
John spins a 7. He passes the final Pay Day space, then spins for pension, where he will collect $10,000 multiplied by the number he spins. To his relief it's a perfect 10, bringing his total cash to $1,620,000 by the end of his turn.
Joan spins a 10. This takes her past the final Pay Raise space, and she ends her turn by landing on the final Pay Day space. She now has $1,730,000.
Rachel spins a 4. Ernie gets a Long-Term Investment return from it, but Rachel ends up passing the final Pay Raise space only to have to pay $50,000 to undergo a life-saving operation, leaving her with $240,000.
Bob also spins a 10. He passes the last Pay Raise space and the last Pay Day space, but has to pay $35,000 for hosting an entertainment awards party. This leaves him with $170,000.
Ernie spins a 10, just like Joan and Bob did. He passes the final Pay Raise space, but then has to pay $50,000 for having his family website designed, effectively negating his salary and leaving him with $110,000 - the same amount as he had at the start of his turn.
Mary spins a 9. She passes the final Pay Day space before retiring at Millionaire Estates with a net worth of $2,305,000 and 7 Life Tiles.
Round Summary: Mary is the first player to retire, but it will not be long before her opponents do the same.
Round 16
The players' inventories at the start of this round are as follows. Note that this is the first round in which any player has a chance of retiring.
John spins a 7. He chooses to end his career by retiring at Millionaire Estates with a net worth of $2,320,000 and 7 Life Tiles. Will it be enough for him to win? He crosses his fingers and hopes for the best.
Joan spins a 6. She retires at Millionaire Estates with a net worth of $2,330,000 and 6 Life Tiles. This gives her more money than any other player, but it may not guarantee victory considering that she has one fewer Life Tile than John or Mary do.
Rachel spins an 8, earning $5,000 from her Long-Term Investment in addition to the salary she gained from passing the final Pay Day space. With no Life Tiles left in Millionaire Estates, she retires at Countryside Acres with a net worth of $805,000 and 3 Life Tiles.
Bob spins a 2, giving Mary a Long-Term investment return. He retires at Countryside Acres with a net worth of $470,000 and 1 Life Tile.
Ernie spins an 8, which yields another Long-Term Investment return for Rachel. He passes the last Pay Day space, collects his salary, and retires at Countryside Acres with a net worth of $560,000 and 1 Life Tile.
Round Summary: Every player has finally retired, which leaves us with one last task - calculate the values of each player's Life Tiles.
Mary has 3 $40,000 Life Tiles, 3 $10,000 Life Tiles, and a $20,000 Life Tile. This gives her a net worth of $2,480,000.
John has 2 $50,000 Life Tiles, 1 $20,000 Life Tile, and 4 $10,000 Life Tiles, giving him a net worth of $2,480,000 and tying him with Mary at the top of the leaderboard.
Joan has 1 $30,000 Life Tile, a $40,000 Life Tile, and 4 $20,000 Life Tiles. This puts her at the top of the leaderboard by taking her final score to $2,480,000, putting her level on cash with Mary and John.
Rachel has two $30,000 Life Tiles and a $50,000 Life Tile. This brings her final score up to $920,000.
Bob's sole Life Tile is worth $30,000, which increases his final score to $500,000.
Ernie's only Life Tile gives him $30,000, taking his net worth to $590,000.
This leaves a three-way tie for first place, and The Game of Life doesn't have a tiebreaker system, so...
Congratulations to Joan, Mary and John for winning this (simulated) Game of Life!!!
Aftermath
Now that the game has ended, let's take a look back on it and examine the key talking points.
College is Overrated... Or Is it?
Three players (Joan, Rachel and Ernie) started the game by going to college, but only one of those (Joan) retained their College Career throughout the game, and she leveraged that consistency until the very end. Moreover, of the top three players, two of them (Mary and John) never went to college at the start of the game.
Returning to School Pays Off... Most of the Time
Although Joan did not return to school, John, Mary and Rachel all did so. However, Rachel made a huge mistake by taking a double Pay Raise at a time when it was possible to trade in her current career for a high-paying college career. For John and Mary, taking the double Pay Raise was not a mistake; in fact, it was one of the most lucrative (if not the most lucrative) options available to them. Ernie and Bob did not return to school because they either couldn't do so or lacked the willingness to fork out so much cash for a potential career change, and they paid a heavy price for their lack of courage.
A Wise Investment
In this version of the Game of Life, it pays to purchase a Long-Term Investment as soon as possible - with this in mind, every player bought one on their very first turn. Some players earned more than others, but the top three in particular benefited from investing early. And while Ernie earned more Long-Term Investment returns than any other player, it was of little consequence after he lost his job early on, and refused to return to school afterwards. Speaking of which...
Consistency is Crucial
...winning the Game of Life usually hinges on whether or not you are able to maintain a consistently high-paying job from start to finish. This is especially true in Generation III, where house resale values and Life Tile bonuses are less important than they used to be.
It Pays to Share the Wealth
Skillful use of Share the Wealth Cards won't just protect you from losing too much money, it'll also help you earn money. In particular, Mary exploited the fact that she had at least one Exemption Card for most of the game, but the other players also generally made good use of STW cards. On that note...
Being Sued Sucks! (Unless You Have an Exemption Card)
...if you get sued often (which is most likely when you are in the lead), expect to lose a lot of cash to your opponents! You can safeguard against this by having an Exemption Card and using it to negate a Lawsuit from another player. And if you have multiple Exemption Cards, all the better.
Post-Game Awards
There is plenty of statistical trivia associated with this example game - here are the most notable examples.
- Most Valuable Life Tile Collection: Mary ($170,000), just ahead of John ($160,000).
- Best Turn: Mary for being the first to Spin to Win (and earn $500,000 from doing so without using Share the Wealth Cards).
- Worst Turn: Ernie for not returning to school immediately after losing his job. Justified in that he could not do so without incurring debt - a situation Bob also found himself in.
- Best Use of Share The Wealth Cards: Mary, for using four Exemption Cards (three to avoid lawsuits and one to negate a Pay Card from Ernie).
- Most Long-Term Investments Earned: Ernie ($65,000).
- Largest Family: Rachel (2 sons).
- Most Lawsuits Filed: Mary (4 lawsuits filed, all of which were successful).
- Unluckiest Player: Ernie, who lost Lawyer College Career early on, did not return to school on the very next turn, failed to earn money in two separate Spin to Win sessions despite using a Spin to Win x4 Card in each one, and had one of his Share the Wealth Cards negated by an Exemption Card, among others. At least he didn't finish last, though.
Conclusion
This project was quite time-consuming and difficult to complete, but it turned out very well in the end. If nothing else, it proved that The Game of Life, much like Monopoly and Clue, are known for their unpredictability, which makes them so fun to play. In fact, I enjoyed this experiment so much that I plan to repeat it - but I may consider doing it with a variation on the video game adaptation's Enhanced Play rule set, or in a completely different version of the board game, which will most likely be Generation II (which I grew up with before Generation III came along). Thanks for viewing, and enjoy your Life!
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