Indeed, what if the universe is like the Game of Life (c)?
Well, for starters, every creature would have to choose when it was born/created whether it wanted to start college or start a career. It would be explained to them that "College offers more career and salary options, but it takes time - and it puts you in debt!" It would then proceed to spin a gigantic spinner and move forward with its life.
College
Immediately the creature would be hit with a $40,000 loan. They would then, upon landing on a career block, be able to choose out of three jobs with a matching salary. They would be able to choose jobs that had the mythical term "Degree required." They would then spend the rest of their life working to pay off their debts, buy houses, and reach retirement.
Career
For those creatures choosing to immediately go to a career, they would only get to choose one job, and the salary to match. They also would only be able to change jobs if they were fired, had a mid-life crisis, or attended night school. They would continue working to pay off debts, buy houses, and reach retirement.
Miscellaneous
Throughout the universe would be magical LIFE Tiles, Pay Day Spaces (no more waiting till Friday!), Getting Married spaces, etc. Planning for events would be a thing of the past. A creature's entire life would be slave to the spinner.
Winning
To win the Game of Life(c) good deeds, helpful personalities and the such would be meaningless. It's all about the money. Whatever creature had the most money and reached either Countryside Acres or Millionaire Estates would be declared the winner.
Conclusion
If the universe were like the Game of Life(c) every creature would either have a degree or a job. Humans would have to compete with ants, dolphins, turtles and piles of kittens to win. We would still not know if other life existed in the universe, but we could guarantee that if there was, they would be a slave to the spinner, just like us.
Brought to you by Saturday morning cereal and the "Life Board Game Rules" available at http://www.centralconnector.com/GAMES/life.html