ideagames.fun presents
The Middle
Class Museum
A memorial to affordable living.
Gallery I — The 1980s
"The Golden Age"
c. 1980
🏠
The Starter Home
$47,200
A 3-bedroom with a yard, bought by a single-income factory worker named Gary at 24. No bidding war. No waived inspection. Gary just... bought it.
Today: $450,000. You are renting Gary's basement.
The Starter Home
Domestic Architecture
I.1
c. 1981
🚗
The New Car
$7,400
A brand new Ford F-150, purchased with 8 months of a factory worker's salary. Drove it off the lot the same day.
Today: The average new car costs $48,000. Gary's grandson leases.
The New Car
Personal Transport
I.2
c. 1982
📺
Cable TV
$7.99 / month
13 channels. No algorithm. You watched what was on. If you missed it, you missed it. This was fine.
Today: You pay $14.99 each for 6 services and still find nothing to watch.
Cable TV
Entertainment
I.3
c. 1983
🏦
The Pension
$0 out of pocket
Your employer saved for your retirement. You didn't think about it. You just showed up for 30 years, and they gave you money until you died.
Today: This is called a "myth."
The Pension
Retirement Architecture
I.4
c. 1984
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦
One-Income Household
1 salary, 4 people
Dad worked. Mom stayed home. They owned a house, took vacations, and saved money. On one income.
Today: Two incomes, no kids, still renting.
One-Income Household
Family Economics
I.5
c. 1985
🚙
The Station Wagon
$8,200
The family vehicle. No screens in the headrests. Kids sat in the back facing traffic. Everyone survived.
Today: A base model SUV starts at $42,000.
The Station Wagon
Family Transport
I.6
c. 1986
⛽
The Summer Job
$3.35 / hour
A teenager working minimum wage at a gas station could pay a full semester of state university tuition in one summer.
Today: That same summer job covers approximately 4 days of tuition.
The Summer Job
Youth Employment
I.7
c. 1988
🏕️
National Park Vacation
$5 entry
Load the family in the car. Drive to Yellowstone. Pay $5. No reservation required. Bears were the only threat.
Today: Timed entry passes sell out in February for July visits.
National Park Vacation
Family Leisure
I.8
c. 1989
📈
The Savings Account
8% Interest Yield
You put money in a basic bank account. The bank paid you 8% a year just for leaving it there. The money grew safely.
Today: 0.01% APY. You must gamble in the stock market to beat inflation.
The Savings Account
Personal Finance
I.9
Gallery II — The 1990s
"Things Were Fine, Actually"
c. 1990
🩺
The Doctor's Visit
$10 Co-Pay
You felt sick. You went to the doctor. You gave the receptionist a $10 bill. They fixed you. There was no follow-up bill in the mail 6 months later.
Today: A $6,000 deductible before your insurance covers a band-aid.
The Doctor's Visit
Healthcare
II.1
c. 1993
🎓
State University
$3,800 / year
Tuition paid by working at a video store over summer. No parental co-signer. No existential dread.
Today: $28,000/year. The video store is gone too.
State University
Higher Education
II.2
c. 1994
💻
The Family Computer
$2,000, shared
One computer. In the living room. Dial-up internet. The whole family shared it and nobody was addicted because it took 45 seconds to load a webpage.
Today: You own 6 screens and feel empty.
The Family Computer
Shared Technology
II.3
c. 1995
📼
Blockbuster Friday
$3.99
A ritual. Drive to the store. Argue about the movie. Get Goobers. Go home. This was peak civilization.
Today: $15.99/month and you still scroll for 40 minutes and go to bed.
Blockbuster Friday
Cultural Ritual
II.4
c. 1996
🏡
The Lake House
$68,000
A middle manager in Ohio could buy a second property on a lake. For fun. Because that was a thing people did.
Today: That lake house is an Airbnb generating $4,000/month for an LLC.
The Lake House
Second Property
II.5
c. 1997
🏥
Included Health Insurance
$0 premium
Your job gave you health insurance. You didn't think about it. You just went to the doctor.
Today: $400/month premium, $6,000 deductible. You google your symptoms instead.
Included Health Insurance
Employment Benefit
II.6
c. 1998
📊
The 7% Mortgage
7% — complained about
People in the 90s griped about 7% mortgage rates like it was a crisis, blissfully unaware of the future housing market.
Today: 7% feels like a crisis again, but the house costs 10x more.
The 7% Mortgage
Home Finance
II.7
c. 1999
🚘
The Used Car
$6,500 — paid in cash
A reliable 3-year-old Honda Civic, paid in cash saved from a year of working. No financing. No credit check.
Today: A used 2019 Civic with 80,000 miles: $22,000.
The Used Car
Personal Transport
II.8
c. 1999
🎫
The Concert Ticket
$25.00 flat
You drove to the venue, handed them a $20 and a $5, and they handed you a piece of cardboard to see the biggest band in the world.
Today: $350 + $85 "Convenience Fee" via dynamic pricing queue.
The Concert Ticket
Live Entertainment
II.9
Gallery III — The 2000s
"The Last Decade of Accidental Stability"
c. 2000
🍕
The $1 Slice
$1.00
A massive, greasy slice of New York style pizza that could genuinely serve as a meal, purchased with coins found in the couch.
Today: $3.50 minimum. Couch coins are extinct.
The $1 Slice
Urban Subsistence
III.1
c. 2002
🏘️
The McMansion
$280,000
4,000 square feet in the suburbs. Granite countertops. Three-car garage. A home theater room. Bought by a middle manager named Dave.
Today: Dave's house is worth $890,000 and he's afraid to sell.
The McMansion
Suburban Architecture
III.2
c. 2003
💿
The DVD Collection
$19.99 / each
You owned your media. Physically. On a shelf. Nobody could take it away or remove it from your library.
Today: You license access to content that can disappear overnight.
The DVD Collection
Media Ownership
III.3
c. 2004
✈️
Flying
Free bags, shoes on
You checked two bags for free. Kept your shoes on. Got a meal on a 3-hour flight.
Today: $45 for a carry-on, $18 for a middle seat with 2 extra inches of legroom.
Flying
Air Travel
III.4
c. 2005
📱
The Work BlackBerry
Company-issued
Your employer gave you a phone. As a perk. Because having email on the go was impressive, not expected.
Today: You use your personal phone for work and pay your own bill.
The Work BlackBerry
Corporate Perk
III.5
c. 2006
💰
401k Matching
Free money
Many employers matched up to 6% of your salary into a retirement account. Just because.
Today: 34% of private sector workers have no retirement plan at all.
401k Matching
Retirement Benefit
III.6
c. 2007
🍽️
Applebee's as a Treat
$11 entrees
Taking the family to Applebee's on a Friday was a genuine celebration. You dressed slightly nicer.
Today: Applebee's is $22 an entree. Going out is a financial decision.
Applebee's as a Treat
Family Dining
III.7
c. 2008
🎓
Graduating with $15k in Debt
$15,000 — manageable
You got a degree, graduated with manageable debt, and got a job in your field within 6 months.
Today: $67,000 in debt, 3 unpaid internships, entry-level requires 5 years experience.
Graduating with $15k Debt
Education Outcome
III.8
c. 2009
📱
The 99-Cent App
$0.99 one-time fee
You paid a dollar, downloaded a game or a tool, and you had it forever. No accounts. No cloud syncing.
Today: A basic calculator app demands $4.99/week.
The 99-Cent App
Software Ownership
III.9
Gallery IV — The 2010s
"Everything Got Expensive But Prettier"
c. 2010
🚕
The $5 Uber Ride
$5 across town
Venture capitalists subsidized our lifestyle. You could cross a major metropolis in a stranger's Prius for the cost of a coffee.
Today: $38 to go 12 blocks. You walk.
The $5 Uber Ride
Transport Subsidies
IV.1
c. 2012
📲
The Subsidized Smartphone
$199 with 2-year contract
You signed a paper swearing loyalty to AT&T, and they handed you a brand new $700 supercomputer for 200 bucks.
Today: $35/month for 36 months. You are financing glass.
Subsidized Smartphone
Personal Technology
IV.2
c. 2013
🏙️
Buying a House in a City
Last chance
In 2013, you could still buy a 2-bedroom in Austin for $210,000. In Denver for $240,000.
Today those same houses are $720,000. The owners feel guilty but won't sell.
House in a City
Urban Homeownership
IV.3
c. 2013
📺
Netflix (The Golden Era)
$7.99 / month — everything
One subscription. Every movie. Every show. No ads. No tiers. You shared the password with your cousin's ex-boyfriend.
Today: $22.99/month, ads, and you can't log in at a hotel.
Netflix
Streaming
IV.4
c. 2014
💼
The Side Hustle
Optional → Mandatory
In 2012, having a side hustle meant you were entrepreneurial. Impressive, even.
Today: It means your main job doesn't pay enough to live.
The Side Hustle
Supplemental Income
IV.5
c. 2015
🏓
The Open Office
Free snacks, no walls
Your company removed everyone's offices to "encourage collaboration." They gave you kombucha on tap and a ping pong table.
The ping pong table is gone. You wear noise-cancelling headphones all day.
The Open Office
Workplace Design
IV.6
c. 2016
📦
The Free Return
Zero consequences
E-commerce companies shipped you 5 sizes of the same shoe and happily took back 4 for free to establish dominance.
Today: $7.99 restocking fee. You keep the wrong size out of spite.
The Free Return
Logistics Subsidies
IV.7
c. 2017
🥑
Avocado Toast Discourse
$14 toast vs. $800k house
A millionaire told millennials they couldn't afford homes because they were buying avocado toast. This was reported as serious economic analysis.
The math was left as an exercise for the reader.
Avocado Toast
Economic Gaslighting
IV.8
c. 2019
📺
The Streaming Wars
Reinventing Cable
Every network pulled their shows from Netflix to launch their own $9.99/month app.
You now pay $85 a month for 7 different apps. You have accidentally reinvented cable.
Streaming Wars
Media Fragmentation
IV.9
Gallery V — The 2020s
"The Exhibit You're Living In"
c. 2020
💵
The Stimulus Check
$1,200
The government gave everyone $1,200 and asked them to survive a global shutdown for 8 months.
Billionaires blame inflation on you buying groceries with it.
The Stimulus Check
Crisis Economics
V.1
c. 2021
🏠💻
Remote Work
Your apartment is your office
Your company saved millions on office real estate. You bought a desk, a monitor, and faster internet for your bedroom.
The productivity gains went to shareholders. You are still paying off the chair.
Remote Work
Self-Funded Office
V.2
c. 2022
🍫
Shrinkflation
Same price, less product
The Toblerone got shorter. The Doritos bag got lighter. The price stayed the same.
A Cadbury Creme Egg is now the size of a Cadbury Shame Egg.
Shrinkflation
Consumer Goods
V.3
c. 2022
😶
Quiet Quitting
A news story
Doing exactly the job you were hired to do—nothing more—became a viral trend with a name and congressional concern.
Working to your contract was considered a radical revolution.
Quiet Quitting
Labour Movement
V.4
c. 2023
💳
The Subscription Everything
$14.99 × ∞
You subscribe to music, movies, software, razors, vitamins, and your car's heated seats.
You own nothing. Your monthly subscriptions now cost more than Gary's 1980 mortgage.
Subscription Model
Ownership Optional
V.5
c. 2023
🛵
The Gig Economy
Full time, no benefits
What began as flexible side income became the primary employment model for millions—with no sick days, no insurance, and an algorithm boss.
It's called being your own boss. The boss has no healthcare.
The Gig Economy
Employment Model
V.6
c. 2024
🥚
The Egg
$8.99 / dozen
Eggs. A food that chickens make automatically. Without being asked.
Cage-free is $13. The chickens are also struggling.
The Egg
Basic Nutrition
V.7
c. 2024
🍔
The $13 McDonald's Meal
Up from $3.99
McDonald's was the last affordable option. The budget choice. The fallback.
A Big Mac meal is now $13. The fallback has fallen.
$13 McDonald's Meal
Fast Food
V.8
c. 2024
📱
The Tip Screen
20%, 25%, or 30%
You grab a black coffee from a counter. The barista flips an iPad around to ask you to subsidize their wages because the corporation won't.
"No Tip" is a tiny, grey button hidden at the bottom.
The Tip Screen
Guilt Economics
V.9
The End.
You own nothing.
You subscribe to everything.
Your rent is higher than your parents' mortgage.
Your groceries cost more than their car payment.

But your phone is incredible.
So there's that.
Collection: Middle Class Americana, 1980–Present
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