TECHNICAL DEBT

A LATE-STAGE CAPITALISM RESOURCE MANAGEMENT GAME

Dimes on The Dollar LLC eliminated your job after automating the work you helped train it to do. Unemployment does not cover the household. Fortunately, Vantage One is delighted to help.

TECHNICAL DEBT is a dark comedy played through a cheerful imitation of an obsolete family computer. Provide groceries, keep promises to Deborah and DJ, manage a home filling with purchases, and turn financial distress into PALM Points before the debt closes in.

ONE FAMILY. ONE BEACH. NO CASH VALUE.

• Charge household needs to earn PALM Points toward the Ascend Getaway.
• Choose between expensive reliability and discount goods that may arrive late—or may only technically be goods.
• Sell unwanted inventory through Baylist before the boxes fill every room.
• Balance cash, credit, storage, family relationships, and the increasingly persuasive vacation obsession.
• Declare bankruptcy, retain permanent lessons, and begin again with a better understanding of the system.
• Reach 100,000 points and discover who actually makes the trip—and whether anyone comes back.

The first bankruptcy is designed to happen. It reveals the progression system; it is not punishment for misunderstanding the game.

Controls

• Mouse or touch: choose actions.
• Use tabs to switch between MailBox, BUYMORE, Haulu, Baylist, Vantage One, and Lessons.
• Blinking red badges mark unread mail and actions that need attention.
• DEBTAMP remains a separate movable jukebox.
• Music, sound effects, CRT strength, reduced motion, and Full Reset are available from the menu bar.

Content note

The game contains fictional financial distress, household conflict, food insecurity, bereavement, and predatory advertising. Its satire targets consumer systems and institutions—not family members or marginalized identities.

AI disclosure

This project was developed with extensive AI assistance. OpenAI Codex was used for design analysis, programming, testing, balance simulation, and content drafting under human direction and review. OpenAI image generation created the cover, capsule, monochrome illustrations, and other static artwork from human-directed prompts.

Suno generated the music and spoken sting from human-directed prompts under a Suno Pro subscription. ElevenLabs generated the source sound effects, which the project creator edited and modified by hand in Bitwig Studio 6.0.11.

Credits

• Design direction, editing, audio editing, and final decisions: OblongOolong
• Programming, content drafting, automated testing, and design assistance: OpenAI Codex under human direction
• Artwork: OpenAI image generation under human direction
• Music and spoken sting: Suno Pro under human direction
• Sound-effect sources: ElevenLabs; manually edited and modified in Bitwig Studio 6.0.11

Created for AI Browser Game Jam 4. Theme: CHARGE!