A city-building game in which the city would prefer you didn't
Points and comments are a snapshot, not live.
A satirical city-building game models the San Francisco housing approval process in detail.
The game is set in San Francisco in January 2015, with Mayor Ed Lee and a 6-5 moderate Board of Supervisors. Players navigate a complex approval process influenced by board votes, planning commissions, and state laws like SB 35 and SB 423. Inclusionary housing requires 12% on-site. An in-game rulebook notes that every rule, vote count, and case is drawn from public record, with sources in the project folder. Player standing, which rises by finishing homes and making concessions, falls when fighting; below 30, people march.
What commenters are saying
Many commenters criticized the game's overwhelming complexity and ugly UI, questioning who it is for and arguing it fails as an educational tool. Some compared it unfavorably to simpler, more intent-driven games like a PhD project about policy choices. Others defended the complexity as a deliberate commentary on San Francisco's regulatory burden, comparing it to Dwarf Fortress or saying the UI accurately models the process. A few noted the game is likely vibe-coded for its creator's own enjoyment rather than a broad audience.
A second camp argued that the complexity is the point: it shows rather than tells the bureaucratic density, and simplifying would elide real problems. One commenter noted the game has a sense of humor and made an impact on them.