NationStates Jolt Archive

Note: Issue already submitted, just looking for opinions.

This summer, I submitted an issue involving population control. I worked on it with my region, and we felt it was pretty good, but had a low chance of being accepted as it could ultimately result in having the population stop increasing or even decrease (although that could be mollified by the immigration issues in role-playing terms). We felt that although it was a good issue, it probably required too much alteration of the game mechanics to be accepted by the mods. We also felt that most nations would hate the options because having a high population is a status thing that indicates how long you've been around (or that you got the 'good' population bug).

However, we felt it was a good, relevant issue, given that there are many nations with over a billion population, and some with even over 2 billion. Afterall, RL nations with populations of that size (or nearing that size) have to at least think about population and resources controls.

Anyway, here was our submission:

Name: Population explosion has @@NAME@@ bursting at the seams

Description: The birth rate in @@NAME@@ is out of control. Housing prices have gone through the roof and rental properties have a 10-month waiting list. Agricultural and parkland is vanishing, most of your food is imported, and environmentalists warn that supplies of drinking water are fading fast. Something has to be done.

Validity: Not valid for nations with low populations

Options: [option]"God said 'Be fruitful and multiply' six times in Genesis," proclaims Archbishop @@RANDOMNAME@@. "Six times! When God repeats himself, he means it. To refuse to have children is to refuse the blessing of God. And you just don't want to go there."

[effect]birth rate and church attendance has reached a new all-time high
[stats]population increases faster, nation becomes more devout

[option] "Something has to be done about our excessive birth rate," announces @@RANDOMNAME@@ of @@NAME@@'s Eugenics Council. "There are too many children being born to people who can't feed them or pay for their college education. And look at all the stupid parents! That's hereditary, you know. It's got to be stopped. We should institute mandatory birth control implants for anyone who is poor, stupid, disabled, or ugly. Or if they spit when they talk."

[effect]eugenics police inject birth control implants into the populace at will
[stats]civil rights decrease a lot, population increases slower (or decreases), public unhappiness increases

[option] "Something needs to be done about our nation's birthrate, but we can't take away an individual's right to have children. What we could do is limit the number of children each woman is allowed to have," suggests @@RANDOMNAME@@, a prominent Cabinet member. "For example, after a woman has had her second child, the government should provide her with free mandatory sterilization, unless she's rich or politically connected, of course."

[effect]the government sterilizes women after the birth of their second child
[stats]civil rights decrease, population increase slows

[option]"That's outrageous!" splutters @@RANDOMNAME@@ of Human Rights Watch. "You can't take away people's rights like that! Especially women's! Obviously education and free birth control is the key. We should begin sex education in kindergarten, explaining where babies come from and how to have fun without making a baby. If children know about sex, birth control, and non-heterosexual alternatives at a young age, they can make responsible decisions when they're older."

[effect]@@NAME@@'s children experiment with sexual play in their schoolyards
[stats]civil rights increase, moral decency decreases

What do you think?

Cool idea I would like to have a way were we could kill some of the people off like a random lottery system. The families of the people killed would get a payment like $1 million. you could decrease your population by 10% per turn for 5 turns.

OOC: This was from an episode of "Sliders".

Cool idea I would like to have a way were we could kill some of the people off like a random lottery system. The families of the people killed would get a payment like $1 million. you could decrease your population by 10% per turn for 5 turns.

That would be silly.

Methinks the issue looks good as it is, though there may be problems implementing any population change.

Looks great! :D Unfortunately, it looks a tad similar to "Ornery Overcrowding Problem." Also, you can't change the population growth rate.

Looks great! :D Unfortunately, it looks a tad similar to "Ornery Overcrowding Problem." Also, you can't change the population growth rate.

I believe that after the first dozen or so days, the population increase depends on various choices one has made (e.g., a lousy economy or environment can slow the increase). Thus, I believe it possible to change the growth rate directly.

I for one, would LOVE to be able to hold a nation's population steady. I think it would be fun to see if an "ecologist's paradise" could be made to work.

I don't like this issue. Theres no way to increase you population rate without making your nation devout. I think one of the other options should allow you to increse the rate as well like the fourth one.

Eh? Hasn't Salusa said before that currently issues do not affect population growth rate at all?