Physical infrastructure is increasingly unsuited to the risks, and both long- and short-term prediction are problematic for many threats.

FORBES: Convicted Italian Seismologists: Scientists as Fall Guys

The Centre for Cities then looked at the proportion of unemployed young people who have been out of work for more than a year to come up with the prediction of 350, 000 long-term unemployed 16 to 24 year olds by December 2011.

BBC: Young jobless capital is revealed

But the game has not yet been around long enough to assess its track record for longer-term prediction, says David Pennock, a senior researcher at Yahoo!

ECONOMIST: Monitor

That is a relatively optimistic prediction, for it would merely return the bankruptcy rate close to its long-term average after an abnormally trouble-free period, and it assumes only a mild recession in America.

ECONOMIST: Bankruptcies in America