Sunday, April 20, 2008

Property Rights in Sim City

We're discussing takings and zoning in Property and a classmate made a comparison between Hadacheck and the game of Sim City. It struck me that property rights are not at all respected in the land of Sim City. Consider the following:
  • The game allows for demolition of homes and businesses with no compensation, the only cost the player has to pay is to the demolition company.
  • Placing industrial zones next to residential zones has no effect on the value of both properties.
  • There are never any covenants that the city has to deal with, rezoning is done freely at will.
I realize this is just a game, but it concerns me because it teaches kids bad lessons about property rights. People seem to get very excited about violence in video games, I propose we also get excited about excessive government in video games.
In contrast, consider the respect for property rights in Monopoly (in spite of the anti-market goal of the game)
  • There's no such thing as a free lunch, if you land on someone's property, you have to pay for it.
  • Players need to coordinate among three different property owners before they can start building homes or hotels
  • It teaches kids to hate landing on the income tax and luxury tax spaces
  • The city never takes your property. The only way you lose it is if you sell it.
Despite the fact that people can still buy their way out of jail, I would still choose to live in Monopoly land over Sim City.

No comments: