A game of $120,000,000. Would you be selfish or a savior?

[Meestor Pickle]

The only winning move is not to play...
I'd decline that offer for the obvious reasons.

 

[ISawAFish]

I would probably end up forgetting about the whole assassin part and go down to the store and buy a snickers... then get my head blown off as I leave the store.

 

[Criquefreak]

Hmm, solve the problems of a country by throwing money at it, just like most governments try to solve problems.

This is a game which, simply put, cannot be won. The selfish players will die in a blaze of hedonistic glory. The well-intentioned players will wind up blowing it all in an ultimately futile fashion, as everything will go right back to how it was before due to not having renewable backing and resources once the game ends.

Given that the game's rules involve randomly and haphazardly throwing away 1.2 billion dollars, a wanton desire to kill people, potentially disregarding law in accomplishing goals, and involves the judgment of unknown sadists guaranteed to kill at least nine people...

No. Just, no.

 

[thirdsonsaburo]

Oh I laughed at that xD.

I would spend all my money on things I need/want, give the rest to my country to spend on crap (they fuck up not my problem), the rest I'll buy 50 professional bodyguards to protect me for life.

Besides that, I'd decline because there's an 7/8th chance you'll die. Who would play that game? Probably a Marty/Saint but no one here is either!

And can I add that it's insanely unfair for some countries with Yen and *cough*NZ dollars*cough* as it is really low compared to US/Pound.

It's not 120 million if it's not US dollars, it's the proportionate amount. In the case of Japan, for instance, 10 billion yen.

 

[Rpground]

im sorry but,i would reject this offer. my life is worth more to me then all the money in the world.and i know me,i would screw up the world more then fix it...

 

[danintexas]

Give 1200 poor families $100,000 each and then move on with my life.

Sure 90% of them would spend it on stupid shit. But the 10% that wouldn't would make me happy knowing they have put their kids through school - or used it to help bring their family up from the gutter.

If I die for that - so what. We all die. Might as well die doing something that might make a difference instead of 62 years old from a heart attack 2 years from retirement while stuck in rush hour traffic on the way to a job you have hated for 30+ years.

My 2 cents

 

[thirdsonsaburo]

AFTER HAVING READ YOUR INSIGHTFUL COMMENTS:

I think I have to change the rules and make a few clarifications here. On average, most of the posters here kind of missed the point or just opted out entirely.

In the hopes of proving that you guys aren't as self-centered as I currently see you, please now take these provisions into consideration:

1. You are not given a choice in the matter of participation. I only say this because it really is smart to opt out of the game, but it's more interesting not to, and the answers about participation are also more interesting. Sorry~
2. You are not in the same geographic area as the other players, nor do you know who they are. The concierge will NOT grant requests of "Kill player [x]"- you have to either know the person's name or be in the same geographic area to point out who you want to kill. Remember, it is expensive to track/kill someone specific!
3. For all intents and purposes, the assassin who eliminates those who fail in the game is untouchable. There is no guarantee that he or she is one person, or will even attack you IN person. You also cannot kill the concierge.
4. You will not be killed for spending smaller portions on yourself. It is entirely reasonable to spend portions of the money on things like food, housing, internet connection, and even amusements like movies and video games. It's when you spend the majority of your money on these things that you are at risk.
5. The money in this game is essentially the "inheritance" of a recently-dead tycoon. The whole "game" exists outside of the government.
6. The phones only respond to the rightful owner's fingerprints. You cannot spend another player's money, even if you were to get their phone.

I hope this makes the game more interesting...

 

[Cheesepower5]

Pump all but a penny into good ol' science then sit back and hope for results. Or more realistically, most on science, some on luxuries.

And out of curiousity, did you read Liar Game?

 

[Rednog]

Like other people mentioned that this is the plot of an anime (one that I really want to check out now), but the premise is in the same vein of the Vertigo comic 100 Bullets. Just wanted to put that out there in case there was someone like me who found these kind of things interesting.

 

[Cyberjester]

Hello, my fellow escapists. Today I come to you with a little hypothetical game. I'm curious to see how you'd play it.

One day, you are anonymously offered a cutting-edge cell phone. It has all of the functions of a regular phone, but with one unusual addition: a button that directly connects you to a concierge.

You are told that you are being given $120,000,000 (US), or the equivalent of such in your country's currency. It can only be spent through making requests of the concierge, and can be conceivably be spent on anything, much like a credit card. Not just goods and items, but more abstract requests (such as "Make the President say "uncle"), which will be carried out and then charged appropriately based on the ultimate costs. For the sake of the simplicity, essentially any request that falls within the price range of 120 million dollars can be requested and carried out.

But there is a catch. There are nine other people who have also been given these phones, with the same sum of money. All of you are also given the same objective: use this money to improve the state of your nation in any way you see fit. If you misappropriate these funds and use them for selfish reasons without contributing towards the greater good, an eleventh person, a trained assassin, will be sent after you with orders to kill. Additionally, if you use up the entirety of your money before the end of the game, you will also be terminated. In the end, each of the remainder of the ten participants is judged on how big a difference they have made in the country with their funds. Whoever has done the most is the winner. The losers are also killed.

Were you offered a chance to play in this game, what would you do? Would you decline to play? How would you spend the money? What would your plan be to use these 120 million to help your nation, if you decided to do so? Do you think you could possibly win?

Just noting that the restrictions placed upon this game take out any choice. "If you do something for selfish reasons" is not only unclear, you could give the money to a company you have a vested interest in even if it's for the good of the country, but it stops you from doing that. You do say "if it's for the greater good", but that's debatable since good and evil are also debatable. So your title, "Would you be selfish or a saviour" is a lie.

Terms like "if you spend the money before the game is up" would also be a turn off. If you have something worth spending it on, why would you not do so? Although if we got to justify ourselves, then for sure I'd play.

I'd send assassins after the other nine and appropriate their money, since it would be for the greater good. I would then create world peace which helps my nation by reducing it's expenditure on military, increases internal spending, etc. So short and long term I win.

I would have the concierge give the money and cellphone to the person most able and willing to improve the state of my nation.

Do I win?

You've spent all your money before the end of the game. You get assassinated.

 

[Cyberjester]

AFTER HAVING READ YOUR INSIGHTFUL COMMENTS:

I think I have to change the rules and make a few clarifications here. On average, most of the posters here kind of missed the point or just opted out entirely.

In the hopes of proving that you guys aren't as self-centered as I currently see you, please now take these provisions into consideration:

1. You are not given a choice in the matter of participation. I only say this because it really is smart to opt out of the game, but it's more interesting not to, and the answers about participation are also more interesting. Sorry~
2. You are not in the same geographic area as the other players, nor do you know who they are. The concierge will NOT grant requests of "Kill player [x]"- you have to either know the person's name or be in the same geographic area to point out who you want to kill. Remember, it is expensive to track/kill someone specific!
3. For all intents and purposes, the assassin who eliminates those who fail in the game is untouchable. There is no guarantee that he or she is one person, or will even attack you IN person. You also cannot kill the concierge.
4. You will not be killed for spending smaller portions on yourself. It is entirely reasonable to spend portions of the money on things like food, housing, internet connection, and even amusements like movies and video games. It's when you spend the majority of your money on these things that you are at risk.
5. The money in this game is essentially the "inheritance" of a recently-dead tycoon. The whole "game" exists outside of the government.
6. The phones only respond to the rightful owner's fingerprints. You cannot spend another player's money, even if you were to get their phone.

I hope this makes the game more interesting...

Several points I'd like to make in response to yours.

Tracking people really isn't that hard, especially in the U.S.A.

4 is a lie, you said it has to contribute to the greater good. If greater good is yourself, then you automatically win by buying a bugatti.

Fingerprints aren't that hard to get pass. There was a car built which had fingerprint only activation, think the dev was using it to prove it was secure. So criminals cut his fingers off and took the car anyway.

You said "eleventh person", thus implying assassin was only one. Meaning you could kill them. If you're changing the game then no-one can win unless we take you out first.

 

[Sindaine]

I like to think I would:

1. Pay off my family's bills, and our relatives'
2. Set aside a decent chunk for my brothers' educations and future homes
3. Get my parents' retirement padded nicely, buy them a comfortable little place to spend their last years
4. Use whatever is left to overhaul the food industry. Corn syrup/sugar is out; lobby to get it banned from food products, especially those aimed at children; farmers of fruits and vegetables and producers of whole grains get the subsidies that were going to corn farmers. Try to get legislation passed limiting the amount of sugar and salt permitted in childrens' food products. Let's nip this childhood obesity thing, huh?

 

[adderseal]

Sounds like the plot for the next SAW film.
I'd like to play a game...

 

[thirdsonsaburo]

AFTER HAVING READ YOUR INSIGHTFUL COMMENTS:

I think I have to change the rules and make a few clarifications here. On average, most of the posters here kind of missed the point or just opted out entirely.

In the hopes of proving that you guys aren't as self-centered as I currently see you, please now take these provisions into consideration:

1. You are not given a choice in the matter of participation. I only say this because it really is smart to opt out of the game, but it's more interesting not to, and the answers about participation are also more interesting. Sorry~
2. You are not in the same geographic area as the other players, nor do you know who they are. The concierge will NOT grant requests of "Kill player [x]"- you have to either know the person's name or be in the same geographic area to point out who you want to kill. Remember, it is expensive to track/kill someone specific!
3. For all intents and purposes, the assassin who eliminates those who fail in the game is untouchable. There is no guarantee that he or she is one person, or will even attack you IN person. You also cannot kill the concierge.
4. You will not be killed for spending smaller portions on yourself. It is entirely reasonable to spend portions of the money on things like food, housing, internet connection, and even amusements like movies and video games. It's when you spend the majority of your money on these things that you are at risk.
5. The money in this game is essentially the "inheritance" of a recently-dead tycoon. The whole "game" exists outside of the government.
6. The phones only respond to the rightful owner's fingerprints. You cannot spend another player's money, even if you were to get their phone.

I hope this makes the game more interesting...

Several points I'd like to make in response to yours.

Tracking people really isn't that hard, especially in the U.S.A.

4 is a lie, you said it has to contribute to the greater good. If greater good is yourself, then you automatically win by buying a bugatti.

Fingerprints aren't that hard to get pass. There was a car built which had fingerprint only activation, think the dev was using it to prove it was secure. So criminals cut his fingers off and took the car anyway.

You said "eleventh person", thus implying assassin was only one. Meaning you could kill them. If you're changing the game then no-one can win unless we take you out first.

ULTIMATELY, the money has to contribute to the greater good. Buying a bugatti is unlikely to do so, and more likely to get you bumped off.

Complain all you want. I merely revised the rules to make the situation closer to the one on which I based this little "game," and to avoid selfish bastards like you. And the majority of other posters.

 

[thirdsonsaburo]

Pump all but a penny into good ol' science then sit back and hope for results. Or more realistically, most on science, some on luxuries.

And out of curiousity, did you read Liar Game?

Oh hell yes. Liar Game is amazing. I am actually considering using one of the games as my next test of the people on the forum, considering the answers here would make them more capable in that competition than in this one. I'm thinking "Minority Rules."

 

[loremazd]

Well first of all, I would never play this game. 120 million isn't enough to have such a high chance of death to get.

But since i'm forced to, I'd probably spend it on finding out who heads this organisation and shining the biggest spotlight on him murdering people for his amusement.