Sometimes it seems like everything is simple. We might imagine that the daily news fits in the space of a succinct headline, for our convenience. I know that I don't always read entire articles, and I'm an editor! But even when we do consume the information that's out there... it's still simplified, watered down, you know? I get it... because trying to imagine the vast array of perspectives regarding news events would overwhelm us. But today I've made a game that can help us realize the gravity of real life's happenings, even if we have been desensitized to their inherent shock value. I'm going to write about some real stuff as though I were describing a science fiction or fantasy novel. Imagine with me.

1. Race Against The Virus

When a disease spreads from southern lands, researchers race against the clock to develop a cure. In the North, fortunately, bugs do not pass along the illness... but all travelers to the South are at risk, and they can spread the illness in the North through sexual interaction. Pregnant women with the virus are carefully monitored, because their children are expected to exhibit devastating symptoms. The Northern political leader asks the lawmakers for sufficient funding to fight the virus, but in this political landscape, no one knows what to expect.

( inspiration for this: The Zika Virus. Read more here.)

2. The Alpha Arena

The nation's leaders pour immense resources of money and power into The Alpha Campaigns, a series of popularity-winning games that occur over about two years' time. From theater-esque debates to impassioned rallies, the candidates fight for the respect and support of the different parts of the nation. A bigoted businessman garners laughs when he announces his candidacy. But, surprisingly, without revoking his obtuse views, he goes on... and on... and on, with more success than anybody anticipated. A radical change-seeker defies the nation's prescribed plans, standing up for the people's best interests despite the efforts of the establishment to suppress original thought. As the months pass by, friendships and families disintegrate ideologically because of The Alpha Campaigns' apparent relevance to everybody's life. And yet... not everybody gets to vote.

(inspiration for this: the United States 2016 presidential campaigns. Read more here.)

3. The Silents

In the aftermath of an uproar, silence soothes. So just one year after the mass media helped to spread a radical movement's message across the country, it suddenly revokes its support. People are still being killed by the same system, which identifies strangers based upon a few criteria and decides whether the person should live or die. These mechanical decisions seem to follow a pattern, but many people trust the system anyway. These people embody silence and circulate the alternative message of blind trust. As the silence wins more and more cities, even activists' eyes are clouded. Is this the new zombie apocalypse that none of us were prepared for?

(inspiration for this: #BlackLivesMatter. Read more here.)

4. Our Public Eye Sees All

When every young person's life hangs in a monopolized balance controlled by one lucrative business, education and competition intensify. Students slave away after-hours to get ahead, writing essays and studying for a strenuous set of exams. At the end of each group's designated time period, their scores appear on the Public Eye for every institution to judge. These results earn some students money and the chance to move far away from home, but they keep other kids stuck without any opportunities. If someone appears apathetic about the Public Eye's program, they will be abandoned by the schools that profess to protect them from the streets. Many start to believe that the only way out... is THROUGH the exact program that puts them through such misery.

(Inspiration for this: the College Board system. Read more here.)