MAX'S LAB | SEPTEMBER 5, 2026AN INTERACTIVE SOCIAL PROBLEMS SIMULATION
LIVE FROM CRYSTAL VALLEYYEAR 0 · BEFORE THE BUILD
A small community faces a very big proposal.Crystal Valley · EST. 1892
DATA CENTERPROPOSED
COOLING SYSTEMSOFFLINE
NEIGHBORHOODAT A CROSSROADS
THE TOLL OVER TIME Fictional scenario observations
Hum begins when cooling starts in Year 2
PROGRESS HAS A NEIGHBOR.

The Data Center
Next Door.

Who benefits when the cloud moves in?

CCACore Industries wants to build in the heart of your town. It promises jobs, investment, and a brighter future. But every promise has a footprint.

One massive facility. Ten years of mounting pressure on electricity, water, housing, and the people who call this town home. Meet your neighbors, weigh the tradeoffs, and decide what your community will stand for.

11 DECISIONS10 YEARS04 ENDINGS

Your choices shape community solidarity, environmental health, and institutional power.

Year 0

MariaYour neighbor of 40 years in Crystal Valley

WHAT WILL YOU DO?

TEN YEARS LATER

Bring it back to the classroom

  1. Which choice felt most consequential? Which felt like it didn't matter?
  2. How did the simulation illustrate social mobilization?
  3. In what ways did corporate power shape the available options?
  4. Was your ending a result of individual choices or structural forces?