How Many S’porean Milestones Have You Achieved? This Card Game Will Tell You How You Fare

Singapore has long been lauded as the best and safest place in Asia to raise your kids. Even better if you’re an expat.

However, as a Singaporean (born and raised), I can tell you that it’s not all roses and daisies. Singapore has consistently topped the rankings for being the MOST EXPENSIVE city in the world to live in.

Cost of living has increased (because capitalism and globalisation waits for no scrub to earn more money), while our wages have not.

The Singaporean dream used to be owning the 5Cs – Cash, Car, Credit Card, Condo, and Country Club (membership).

Now the millennial’s 5Cs consists of Career, Cheap Everything (air tickets, food, clothes), Connection, Cashless Payment, and Crying. Trust me, I’m a millennial.

Our Singaporean Dream is just to have our place, a heated shower, a decent paying job, and hope to be able to retire before we die from work.

[caption id="attachment_35460" align="aligncenter" width="1045"]The Singaporean Dream Image Credit: The Singaporean Dream[/caption]

If you’re as “optimistic” as I am about living the Singaporean Dream, you can “sign up” for a trial by playing this locally-made card game aptly named “The Singaporean Dream“.

The Singaporean Dream Is (Not) A Game

This card game will see you pit your survival skills with other Singaporeans, as you pay, steal and sabo your way to being the perfect Singaporean.

[caption id="attachment_35464" align="aligncenter" width="1016"]The Singaporean Dream Image Credit: The Singaporean Dream[/caption]

Pick Your Avatar

You start with 5 personas to choose from – the Auntie, the CBD OL (Office Lady), the Complain Queen, the NSF, and the Ah Beng.

[caption id="attachment_35459" align="aligncenter" width="1000"]The Singaporean Dream Image Credit: The Singaporean Dream[/caption]

Very local archetypes here.

Live, Collect, Win

There are 3 types of cards in the game – Action Cards, Cash Cards, and Dream Cards.

So the main goal of the game, is to accumulate and amass as many Singaporean Dreams (Dream Cards) as you can before the pile of “Dream Cards” runs out.

[caption id="attachment_35463" align="aligncenter" width="995"]The Singaporean Dream Image Credit: The Singaporean Dream[/caption]

There are 2 ways you can collect Dream Cards.

  1. Buy Dream Cards with Cash Cards.
  2. Gain Dream Cards with Action Cards.

It’s quite an accurate depiction of the Singaporean life though. You’re either rich enough to accomplish a Singaporean Dream, or you work towards achieving the Singaporean Dream, like the rest of us.

Some of the Action Cards include “Getting A Seat In A Crowded MRT”, “Dating An Angmoh”, “Kena STOMP-ed”, and “Cutting A Queue”.

[caption id="attachment_35462" align="aligncenter" width="1018"]The Singaporean Dream Image Credit: The Singaporean Dream[/caption]

Each turn, you draw 2 cards from the Action Cards pile, and you can play up to 2 actions per turn.

Repeat until the pile of Dream Cards runs out! The player with the most Singaporean Dreams wins the game!

There are 104 illustrated cards in a deck and each card is hand-drawn by the creator, Theresa (She’s a millennial).

[caption id="attachment_35461" align="aligncenter" width="1401"]The Singaporean Dream Image Credit: The Singaporean Dream[/caption]

So don’t tell me millennials don’t work for anything because I’m sick of it.

If you’ve been to Mind Cafe recently, you might’ve been one of the few fortunate ones to play the game when it was on trial there.

You can pledge an amount for their Kickstarter campaign if you’re looking to get your hands on a deck.

In the meantime, how are you really faring in your real-life quest for the Singaporean Dream?

Also read Popular Filipino Fries Chain Potato Corner Opens A S’pore Outlet At Orchard

(Header Image Source: The Singaporean Dream)