Oiligarchy

My analysis of the game and postmortem are kind of strange, at least in my head. Here's why: I started out with the idea that the game would be teaching me a lesson about how the oil system works, how it's corrupt and somewhat ruthless, and how government plays a big roll on just how much power oil companies have. The postmortem more or less confirmed that line of thought. However, after playing the game and when reading the postmortem, I was struck by a thought: I never really considered the implications of my choices or actions while playing.

My analysis may be off topic or not really what it was meant to be, but I think I want to analyze it by observing myself in a sense. The game, as stated, was meant to show just how the wheels are greased in the oil industry structure, no pun intended. It did that, but not while I was playing, which is funny now that I consider that the article is called the Postmortem. While I was playing, the gamer in me came out. My goal was to maximise my profit, keep away all the locals or individuals who were against my agenda, get my political allies in power, monopolize wherever possible, and basically control the entire microcosm of the game. I did that for the most part. I ended up with the retirement ending, which I'll take over being fired or bringing on mutually assured destruction. I ended up losing my hold over the government and the world gradually shifted away from a dependence upon oil, finding new energy sources and becoming on the whole more economical. However, my choices leading up to this ending were anything but moral or decent. I had protestors killed in Nigeria. Yeah, it was awful, but at the time they were annoying the hell out of me. I released fake biochemical attacks on the American people, to scare them all into believing that the government was right in sending more troops overseas and elsewhere, even though the real reason was that I was being somewhat of a greedy bastard. I suppose I was a failure at being a supreme, ruthless genius because I never did get to move my oil fields into Alaska, but alas, you win some you lose some. I really enjoyed how the game followed the Hubbert Curve, in terms of gameplay, for my ending at least, and in terms of gameplay mechanics. Mechanics wise, my profit and expansion started very slowly. As my empire built, I moved into new areas. Slowly but surely, oil addiction went up (great phrasing on their part) and so did my profits. I hit a point where I was a powerhouse, with all the oil the world could need, raking in countless dollars while also ruling over the government, a shadow hand behind the president and the secret council.

Then came my fall. Now, depending on the ending, I'm going to assume that the fall can happen differently. Mine was very gradual, I didn't just lose all my power and wealth at once, it was a steady decline, and the world slowly worked it's way up, for the better. I think it was an interesting look into not only the politics of the current world, and a great gauge on possible outcomes, but also a look into a mirror, so to speak. When I feel I can "win" or "gain" I'll make any decision I can. Now, my decisions are negligent considering they had no actual real world impact, but I think the idea still stands, and it was an idea that was meant to be planted. It's easy to see where the corruption comes from, but it doesn't make it anymore acceptable, and now I have a glimpse at both sides of the debate.