Do you remember when you were a kid and you used to play grownup? You would pretend to be a teacher or firefighter or something and then go about doing what you thought that person did.
Except, I’m pretty sure no one imagined a life where they would be a faceless hack, a slave to the machine and to “the man.”
When you go home at night, if you’re a fan of simulation games, you might pretend to be an adventurer or star pilot, but you probably don’t pretend to be a “cube monkey.”
Except, now you can.
Check out a completely free game called “It is as if you were doing work.” This “game” requires no installation and runs in every browser I tested. The purpose, if there is one, is to complete the meaningless tasks you’re given and deal with constant distractions. You know, just like your job. You’re put in a passable imitation of Windows 3.1 and forced to deal with a ceaseless number of menial tasks popping up one on top of the other. The faster you do these tasks, the more meaningless promotions you get… making it a passable imitation of most workplaces.
There’s a part of me that worries that this is some sort of exercise designed to steal your identity, but it really does just seem to be a harmless, if slightly sadistic, exercise.
If you don’t believe me, check it out, but don’t be surprised if your own office work seems fun by comparison.
