OK, I admit, it was foolish to try to start a union. But after failing to make my quota of three shoes in my first day of work, I didn't have enough money to buy food, and I was feeling a little bit woozy. So when the question flashed on my screen, "Want to start a union?" I clicked yes. Moments late, my co-workers and I were beaten up by a group of strange men.
Now I was too woozy to focus well on my seemingly simple task -- dragging and dropping a sports shoe together online. I quickly spent what was left of my wages on an energy drink. But when the short-term boost from that was gone, I had nothing left.
Game over.
I'm not actually going to recommend playing SimSweatshop as a good way to start your week. It's depressing and hard, even if it's well designed and seemingly easy. (Thanks to Pienso for the link.) As a didactic, "interactive artwork" created by Johnny Norridge for NOW, an arts group in Notthingham, England, it works well for the purpose for which it was made: spreading a little online sweatshop pain.
Most people, whether they've worked in a sweatshop or not, probably already know that they suck. But there's a nifty way this game brings a little extra to the table that makes it something more than just your average dose of pro-worker propaganda. The speed with which your wages are garnished to pay for food and drink is exquisitely destabilizing. Almost immediately, you feel pressure to work faster, to assemble your shoes more speedily. You feel the fear. You feel exploited.
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