Web game
Rich Spoon, Poor Spoon Life Simulator
This is a solo life simulator that runs in your phone browser. The family you are born into is random, and from age 1 to 84 you make choices at the moments life throws at you. When your life ends, your final net worth goes onto the leaderboard with your nickname. No signup and nothing to install, just pick a nickname and start.
The game is played mainly in Korean and uses Korean household statistics, with amounts in Korean won (₩). It is also available in 11 languages, but the non-Korean text was machine-translated and has not been checked by native speakers, so some sentences may sound odd.
What kind of game is it?
Some people start in a comfortable home and some in a tight one, but the start is not the end. The game is built on the idea that good choices add up, even if you were born poor. Where you start is different; how you spend your effort, time, health, relationships and money is up to you. Some years luck is against you, and that is part of life. A game takes about 20 to 40 minutes and you can leave and continue later.
How a game goes
- Birth. Your parents' jobs, your family's income rank, household wealth rank and number of siblings are drawn at random. Some families give you a "safety net" that softens one big failure.
- Growing up (1-19). School, cram school and friends appear every year. If you discover a talent such as sports, singing or dancing, new paths open.
- Becoming an adult (20s). University or work, and which job. Men face military service. Special paths such as entertainer, athlete, creator or writer also exist.
- Building a household (30s-50s). Marriage and children, finding a home (monthly rent, deposit lease, buying), investing in stocks, crypto, property and dividend shares, starting and closing a business, losing a job, and help or inheritance from parents.
- Later life (60+). Retirement and pension, health, medical bills and settling your assets.
- The end at 84. Every life ends at 84. Nobody drops out halfway. If you looked after your health you stay healthy to the end; if not, medical costs weigh on your old age.
The choices you make
About 120 to 135 scenes appear in one game, and the scenes for each age are drawn from a pool, so every game tells a different story.
- Study and work. University, employment, big company, civil service, small company, start-up, freelancing, talent-based careers.
- Family. Marriage, parental leave, having children (up to three, twins possible), conflict and divorce, support for your parents, inheritance.
- Home. Rent, deposit lease or buying, moving, and renting out a second home.
- Investing. You decide how much, for how many years and whether to borrow money for stocks, crypto, property or dividend shares. You can sell early, but fees apply, and prices go up and down.
- Mind and body. Four stats, intelligence, health, mental strength and connections, rise and fall with your choices and affect your chances of success and your old age.
How net worth is calculated
Your score is your final net worth:
net worth = cash + property + stocks + crypto + business + deposit lease + fixed-term investments (minus loans) - debt
The winner is not who earned the most but who kept the most. A big income does not help if you are deep in debt or your investments fail, and a modest income can reach a high rank if you save steadily and stay healthy.
Collection book and sound
The collection book lets you review what you met in life: 11 kinds of family background ("spoons"), 10 jobs, 10 life endings and 27 life events such as job loss, closing a business, divorce or twins, 58 in all. Things you have not met yet appear as "???". It is saved only in your own browser and is never sent to a server.
Sound effects play when you press buttons, when results appear and when a life ends. Use the speaker button at the bottom right to turn them off and on. The setting is saved on your device and sound is on by default.
Leaderboard
When a life ends, your final net worth, nickname and ending are posted to the global leaderboard automatically. Your best 10 results are also stored on your device. Each player can post once a minute, and suspicious entries are hidden after several reports.
Where do the numbers come from?
The amounts and ranks in the game are game values based on Korean household statistics such as the Survey of Household Finances and Living Conditions (KOSIS). The ranges from the top 1% to 100% follow official statistics and the gaps without data are filled with estimates. It has nothing to do with real people or groups, it is not investment advice, and succeeding in the game does not mean the same choices will work in real life.
Nicknames
- Length and characters. 1 to 12 characters: letters, numbers, spaces and _ . - only.
- Not allowed. Insults, sexual language, pretending to be the operator, ads, contact details, web addresses and long numbers that look like phone numbers.
- Gender choice. You choose male or female only so that scenes such as military service or parental leave fit; it is not sent to the server and stays on your device.
FAQ
Do I need to sign up or pay?
No. Pick a nickname and play. It is free.
How long does a game take?
Usually 20 to 40 minutes, and you can continue later with "Continue".
Can I fail halfway?
No. Every life runs to age 84 and ends there.
Can I succeed if I am born poor?
A weaker start means harder choices, but steady choices and some luck can take you high on the leaderboard. A rich start can also fall if you choose badly.
Which languages are supported?
Korean, English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Hindi and Bengali. Change it with the language button at the bottom of the start screen. Non-Korean text was machine-translated and has not been checked by native speakers.
Where is my data stored?
Your game in progress and your records stay in your browser. The leaderboard only receives your nickname, final net worth, ending, family background level, age at death and the time. We do not collect names or contact details.
I found an inappropriate nickname.
Press the report button on the leaderboard. Entries are hidden automatically after several reports and the operator reviews them.
Privacy
See the game's privacy policy (English) and the Nurimlab privacy policy (Korean).