Conducting Research for Game Design

Hey everyone, This is my first time posting.

This week I've been tasked with researching a resonant topic with the hopes of creating a compelling game that will educate and sympathize with a form of crisis or discrimination that everyday people face. Only gathering research for topics related to Game Design is different than say something like Science or Medicine, on top of research papers, you have to actually play games that correlate with the subjects or find some form of a loop that equally immerses the player as it does entertain. The topic that I have chosen this semester in school is Rent Control and inflation.

Being someone who currently lives in an area where it is a very real crisis that many people I personally know are facing, I want to create a relatable and compelling experience that anyone can enjoy, while also shedding some light on the very real issues that we are facing. Regardless of the amount of work someone puts in, it doesn't really matter if 65 - 85% of their income is going towards rent alone, on top of the rising costs of everything, the minimum wage just doesn't cut it anymore for people's living costs. What if they want to go to school? Or have children, animals, or a chronic health condition? How will these people take care of more than themselves if they can't even make ends meet?

That is the Focus of my upcoming title Rent. I think that it is a compelling subject that everyone my age can relate to. I want to focus on the everyday person, and the sacrifices that they may have to make just to survive. Remembering that no matter how bleak, there are real people facing these exact crises in their lives.