My name is Chloe Rensky and I am the creator of the game Little Apple in the Big City. I am seventeen years old, born and raised in New York City. For three years now, I have been investigating the crisis of people experiencing homelessness in New York CIty. Looking at root problems is how I came to learn about the rent crisis. According to Coalition for the Homeless, as of April 2025, 108,464 people are living in shelters in New York. This number includes 37,106 children. The total unhoused population in New York is more than 350,000. Homelessness has now reached its highest level since the Great Depression. 

According to Apartments.com, the current average rent for a one bedroom in New York CIty is $4023, or $3257 for a studio. That means that in order for an individual to live comfortably, spending no more than 30% of their income on housing, a renter would need to make $161,796 per year, which is about $13,483 per month. The minimum wage in New York City is only $2,315 per month, leaving a gap of $11,000. 

It is unlivable. That’s why I created The Little Apple in the Big City. Players have to survive twelve months of a minimum wage job and (comparatively cheap) New York City rent. You are given a bank account, a health measure, a social measure, and a mental health measure. Throughout the year, you are asked three questions a month about what you would like to spend money on: food, visiting your family, going out, etc. The point of the game is to highlight how difficult it is to live in New York with the conditions present today. I hope you enjoy playing, but it’s important to remember that these are real life scenarios. This is not just a game, this is someone’s life.