STARCRASH ECONOMICS
Read the info & then start the adventure
Visit every planet, earn your badges, and become a Master of Galactic Economics.
Mission
Equitaria
The ship’s essential systems are overheating. Excessive defence budgets have crowded out investment in public goods. You must cool the system by restoring balance.
Incoming Message
🎥 Watch the mission video to learn how public goods work, what happens when defence dominates the budget, and how economists approach the ‘guns vs. butter’ dilemma. You’ll need this intel to complete the mission.
“Commander, internal systems are overheating. Our scans show severe imbalances in resource allocation—too much spent on defence, not enough on critical services. We risk total systems failure unless you can restore economic equilibrium.”
1/4
Which of these is the best example of a public good at risk when military spending dominates?
A weapons manufacturing plant
A private hospital
A clean air system
2/4
What does the 'guns vs butter' model help policymakers understand?
How military technology advances over time
The trade-off between defence spending and civilian needs
The profits made by defence contractors
3/4
Why might a government overspend on military resources, even during peace?
Political incentives favour visible defence investments
National security always demands maximum spending
Military goods are cheaper than public services
4/4
What is a major risk when governments shift spending heavily towards defence?
Essential public services may be neglected
Public goods become profitable for private companies
Military industries collapse without public demand
Oh, NO!
badge
Equitaria
Collect the Badges from each planet and conquer the galaxy.
Mission
LOBBYRON
External inspections reveal embedded defence contracts and self-replicating budget loops. You're in the orbit of the military-industrial complex—time to repair the system.
Incoming Message
🎥 Watch the mission video to uncover how the military-industrial complex influences economic decisions. Learn how lobbying, profit motives, and political alliances can embed spending in ways that are hard to undo—even when they're causing long-term harm.
“Commander, the ship’s outer hull is damaged. You're cleared for extravehicular activity. As you begin repairs, you'll notice something strange: the damage isn’t from space debris—it’s from embedded defence systems we didn’t authorise. Someone—or something—has locked defence spending into the ship’s structure.”
1/4
What is a key feature of the military-industrial complex?
Defence industries influence political decisions
Military spending is tightly linked to public votes
Defence budgets are reduced during peace
2/4
Why can defence budgets grow beyond what is needed for security?
National threats always increase
Defence firms have incentives to promote more spending
Voters demand more public goods
3/4
How does asymmetric information affect defence spending decisions?
Politicians have full information but ignore it
Public agencies hide spending from companies
Private firms know more about military needs than governments
4/4
Which situation best shows inflated defence spending due to weak oversight?
Cutting spending on non-military research
Renewing contracts without reassessing real security needs
Selling military equipment to other planets
OH, NO!
badge
LOBBYRON
Collect the Badges from each planet and conquer the galaxy.
Mission
THEORIA
Competing theories swirl in the asteroid field. Navigate Keynesian and Marxist interpretations of military spending to avoid a crash and reach clarity.
Incoming Message
🎥 Watch the mission video to explore how Keynesian and Marxist economists interpret military spending. Learn how one sees it as economic stimulus—and the other as a tool of class power and imperial control.
“Commander, you're entering an asteroid belt—coded policy debris from competing economic theories. Each fragment represents a different worldview on military spending. Dodge the ideological wreckage and stay on course by identifying which theories hold up under pressure.”
Capitalist control
Surplus absorption
Demand management
Structural power
Permanent arms
1/4
Which theory sees military spending mainly as a tool to boost demand?
National security
Public welfare
Defence efficiency
Surplus absorption
Fiscal stimulus
2/4
Which theory sees military spending as a way to stabilise capitalism?
Overproduction crisis
Capital flight
Growth engine
Surplus hoarding
Class struggle
3/4
Which concept fits the Keynesian view of using military spending during a recession?
Trade barriers
Tax policy
Inflation risk
Firm size
Consumer debt
4/4
In Marxist theory, why can private firms struggle to absorb surplus capital?
Oh, NO!
badge
THEORIA
Collect the Badges from each planet and conquer the galaxy.
Mission
FOGARIA
Thick ideological clouds are distorting judgement on Planet Fogaria. Read the information before progressing.
1/4
Which country should you include a discussion of the military-industrial complex in your policy brief?
2/4
Which country should you include a discussion of Keynesian defence spending in your policy brief?
3/4
Which country should you include military spin-offs in your policy brief?
4/4
Which country should you include a justification for higher spending due to nearby threats in your policy brief?
Oh, NO!
badge
FOGARIA
Remember the numbering!
Collect the Badges from each planet and conquer the galaxy.
Enter the code of theearned badges.
Code
Hey!
Are you going to leave this mission incomplete?
Home
back
The galaxy is in turmoil. Across the planets, public services are collapsing, powerful interests distort spending, and ideology clouds economic decision-making. As an intergalactic economist, your mission is to visit five troubled worlds, collect insight-badges from each, and restore balance across the galaxy.
When making policy decisions about spending, it is essential to separate evidence from ideology. Emotional arguments—such as appeals to patriotism, fear, or urgency—can distort judgments about what level of defence spending is truly optimal. Effective policy briefs will select economic theory and empirical evidence according to their chosen country.
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Transcript
STARCRASH ECONOMICS
Read the info & then start the adventure
Visit every planet, earn your badges, and become a Master of Galactic Economics.
Mission
Equitaria
The ship’s essential systems are overheating. Excessive defence budgets have crowded out investment in public goods. You must cool the system by restoring balance.
Incoming Message
🎥 Watch the mission video to learn how public goods work, what happens when defence dominates the budget, and how economists approach the ‘guns vs. butter’ dilemma. You’ll need this intel to complete the mission.
“Commander, internal systems are overheating. Our scans show severe imbalances in resource allocation—too much spent on defence, not enough on critical services. We risk total systems failure unless you can restore economic equilibrium.”
1/4
Which of these is the best example of a public good at risk when military spending dominates?
A weapons manufacturing plant
A private hospital
A clean air system
2/4
What does the 'guns vs butter' model help policymakers understand?
How military technology advances over time
The trade-off between defence spending and civilian needs
The profits made by defence contractors
3/4
Why might a government overspend on military resources, even during peace?
Political incentives favour visible defence investments
National security always demands maximum spending
Military goods are cheaper than public services
4/4
What is a major risk when governments shift spending heavily towards defence?
Essential public services may be neglected
Public goods become profitable for private companies
Military industries collapse without public demand
Oh, NO!
badge
Equitaria
Collect the Badges from each planet and conquer the galaxy.
Mission
LOBBYRON
External inspections reveal embedded defence contracts and self-replicating budget loops. You're in the orbit of the military-industrial complex—time to repair the system.
Incoming Message
🎥 Watch the mission video to uncover how the military-industrial complex influences economic decisions. Learn how lobbying, profit motives, and political alliances can embed spending in ways that are hard to undo—even when they're causing long-term harm.
“Commander, the ship’s outer hull is damaged. You're cleared for extravehicular activity. As you begin repairs, you'll notice something strange: the damage isn’t from space debris—it’s from embedded defence systems we didn’t authorise. Someone—or something—has locked defence spending into the ship’s structure.”
1/4
What is a key feature of the military-industrial complex?
Defence industries influence political decisions
Military spending is tightly linked to public votes
Defence budgets are reduced during peace
2/4
Why can defence budgets grow beyond what is needed for security?
National threats always increase
Defence firms have incentives to promote more spending
Voters demand more public goods
3/4
How does asymmetric information affect defence spending decisions?
Politicians have full information but ignore it
Public agencies hide spending from companies
Private firms know more about military needs than governments
4/4
Which situation best shows inflated defence spending due to weak oversight?
Cutting spending on non-military research
Renewing contracts without reassessing real security needs
Selling military equipment to other planets
OH, NO!
badge
LOBBYRON
Collect the Badges from each planet and conquer the galaxy.
Mission
THEORIA
Competing theories swirl in the asteroid field. Navigate Keynesian and Marxist interpretations of military spending to avoid a crash and reach clarity.
Incoming Message
🎥 Watch the mission video to explore how Keynesian and Marxist economists interpret military spending. Learn how one sees it as economic stimulus—and the other as a tool of class power and imperial control.
“Commander, you're entering an asteroid belt—coded policy debris from competing economic theories. Each fragment represents a different worldview on military spending. Dodge the ideological wreckage and stay on course by identifying which theories hold up under pressure.”
Capitalist control
Surplus absorption
Demand management
Structural power
Permanent arms
1/4
Which theory sees military spending mainly as a tool to boost demand?
National security
Public welfare
Defence efficiency
Surplus absorption
Fiscal stimulus
2/4
Which theory sees military spending as a way to stabilise capitalism?
Overproduction crisis
Capital flight
Growth engine
Surplus hoarding
Class struggle
3/4
Which concept fits the Keynesian view of using military spending during a recession?
Trade barriers
Tax policy
Inflation risk
Firm size
Consumer debt
4/4
In Marxist theory, why can private firms struggle to absorb surplus capital?
Oh, NO!
badge
THEORIA
Collect the Badges from each planet and conquer the galaxy.
Mission
FOGARIA
Thick ideological clouds are distorting judgement on Planet Fogaria. Read the information before progressing.
1/4
Which country should you include a discussion of the military-industrial complex in your policy brief?
2/4
Which country should you include a discussion of Keynesian defence spending in your policy brief?
3/4
Which country should you include military spin-offs in your policy brief?
4/4
Which country should you include a justification for higher spending due to nearby threats in your policy brief?
Oh, NO!
badge
FOGARIA
Remember the numbering!
Collect the Badges from each planet and conquer the galaxy.
Enter the code of theearned badges.
Code
Hey!
Are you going to leave this mission incomplete?
Home
back
The galaxy is in turmoil. Across the planets, public services are collapsing, powerful interests distort spending, and ideology clouds economic decision-making. As an intergalactic economist, your mission is to visit five troubled worlds, collect insight-badges from each, and restore balance across the galaxy.
When making policy decisions about spending, it is essential to separate evidence from ideology. Emotional arguments—such as appeals to patriotism, fear, or urgency—can distort judgments about what level of defence spending is truly optimal. Effective policy briefs will select economic theory and empirical evidence according to their chosen country.