As a game that prides itself on exploring every aspect of a Victorian society, one thing has remained unused until now. That being the contrast between an aristocratic part of the town, with all its glory, and the slums.
According to Wikipedia, "slums became common in the 19th to late 20th centuries in the United States and Europe", which is in line with the game's timeline. Slums were also part of Victorian Britain due to many factors, but to keep it simple, the main reason slums are created is due to too many people living in a city and not enough affordable housing. Slums are associated with increased violence, poor education, and poor health.
Being this a historical problem with real causes and consequences for societies of that time, and today's time as well, this seems like an important mechanic that could be part of a game about national gardening, economics, politics, and society. The focus on national gardening should include an essential part of people's lives.
Some of the factors for causes are already modeled, to an extent, in the game:
- People migrating to cities or states containing factories seeking jobs and unemployment;
- Urbanization in cities, with more services and industries being provided in urban centers, which provide a better quality of life for POPs and attract them;
- Social factors, such as religion, nationality, and profession;
Paradox Interactive
Some of the consequences exist in Victoria II:
- Life rating, which aims to model how to make places more habitable;
- Crime, which models illegal or violent behavior in a province or state;
As such, some causes and consequences already exist, and this is how housing could be modeled in the game. A simple way to implement housing is as infrastructure. According to a Pops size, wealth and income, there could be a certain amount of housing being used and any excess housing demands would be directed to a "Slums" building.
