I think if you succeeded in making a game that successfully simulated the experience of poverty, it would be extremely unfun to play.
There is a popular misconception that poverty amounts to having your bank balance reset to zero. “Damn, guess I’ll have to earn it all back”. But what you can’t reset or simulate is the human capital embodied within you that got you to this point. Your lifetime of education, your experience of problem solving, your strong network of contacts, your history of good decision-making. You also can’t ignore the physical comfort that you, the player, would be in as you play the game. With all of that, you very likely could just earn it all back.
There is a popular misconception that poverty amounts to having your bank balance reset to zero. “Damn, guess I’ll have to earn it all back”. But what you can’t reset or simulate is the human capital embodied within you that got you to this point. Your lifetime of education, your experience of problem solving, your strong network of contacts, your history of good decision-making. You also can’t ignore the physical comfort that you, the player, would be in as you play the game. With all of that, you very likely could just earn it all back.
That’s not what poverty is about.