Every time I come across one of these Flash games I fruitlessly rack my brain on the question of where the designers find the time.  Thanks go to our friends at HotAir.com for letting readers know about the newest time vacuum, The Bailout Game, a fun way to divert yourself when thoughts turn dark on the subject of your own financial future.

The game itself isn't terribly complex and it isn't supposed to be a simulation.  You either use federal dollars to bail out private enterprises, or you don't.  The consequences of not bailing our companies and banks is always negative, and there is no positive result from letting the free market work.  If the video clips and random events weren't so entertaining I would suspect a Hank Paulson/Barack Obama joint venture for the purpose of generating a viral public relations push.

It is interesting to note that, as I played the game a few times, I realized that by forgoing any bailouts the game's length was shortened by a half dozen or so turns.  So is the real lesson of the game that the quickest path out of a recession is to let the market regulate itself?

You know the drill by now.  Try it and pass it along.

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Cross-posted at Unequal Time