Survive Economics

As economics students, we often learn theories but rarely see how they play out in real life. After a business lesson that we played as a business owner, I saw the hackonomics hackathon and had an idea, we only had roughly a week, but we wanted to illustrate how economics concepts can show in real life in an interactive and entertaining way.

Survive Economics is a visual novel where players experience the financial life of a character over time. Every decision affects their income and future outcomes. The game demonstrates how individual choices can lead to short-term gains or long-term consequences, making economic concepts more intuitive and realistic.

We designed the game as a branching narrative system, where each choice influences income progression. We used Renpy and Python to handle the decision trees, user interface and logic, focusing on simplicity and clarity due to time constraints.

We had very limited time, which forced us to prioritize core mechanics over polish. It was a very hard time, we wanted decisions to feel impactful without making the game overly complex. We also faced challenges structuring the branching paths in a way that remained coherent and engaging.

We successfully created a working prototype that connects economic theory to real-life decision-making. We built a system where choices have visible consequences, helping players understand concepts like opportunity cost. Despite time constraints, we delivered a playable experience.

We learned the importance of prioritization and patience in time-limited projects. Furthermore, we also had to think out of the box to make it as unique and creative as possible

We plan to expand the game into a more complex and immersive experience, with deeper decision systems, more diverse life paths, and stronger narrative tension. We also aim to improve visuals, add more characters, and introduce advanced economic mechanics.

Built With

• python
• renpy