you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] 8 points 2 months ago (7 children)

I read the article just to confirm this wasn't a The Onion article. I understand there are games that simulate work like farming and even powerwashing. Even though I don't play those, I can mildly see the appeal as you're creating something (farming) or making something better than it was before (powerwashing). However, I see zero appeal for a game that simulates gig work like ridesharing. Can someone explain it to me, or have I reach a pivotal "too old" moment in my life?

  • source
  • hideshow 7 child comments
  • [–] 8 points 2 months ago (4 children)
  • [–] 4 points 2 months ago* (3 children)

    Crazy Taxi (and Simpsons: Road Rage") were largely about driving poorly, crashing into things, and performing automobile jumps that would be considered suicidal if done for real. It was a fantasy driving game with the taxi business as the thinnest excuse to be driving. Unless I've drastically mistaken what Rideshare Simulator is, I don't think Crazy Taxi example is applicable.

    Fifteen years before Crazy Taxi, we had Space Taxi for the Commodore 64:

    I'd say Space Taxi and Crazy Taxi had equal amounts of relevance to the taxi industry in the sense that they were an excuse to fly/drive in fantasy settings instead of an actual business simulator.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 3 child comments
  • [–] 1 point 2 months ago (2 children)

    Fair enough. I admit, as someone who can't drive IRL, I like things like Slow Roads too, or other driving sims that are generally not fantasy - just 'cozy' experiences.

    I wouldn't necessarily mind a ride-sharing or road trip simulator with decent dialogue or something like procedural generation for the passengers. But it's also something I would never pay money toward.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 2 child comments
  • [–] 2 points 2 months ago (1 child)

    Fair enough. I admit, as someone who can’t drive IRL, I like things like Slow Roads too, or other driving sims that are generally not fantasy - just ‘cozy’ experiences.

    When I was forming my original question, I did consider an audience this might appeal to for those that couldn't drive (for whatever reason). I appreciate you sharing your POV on this.

    I always considered Rideshare driving as the opposite of relaxing because of the physical dangers to drivers as well as the stress the drivers have from trying to make their money against rising fuel costs, insurance costs, and competion from platforms forcing down fare rates. Perhaps the Rideshare game masks all of these elements of the actual rideshare business and simply presents it as a task/goal game with a social aspect which would be far more appealing.

  • source
  • parent
  • hideshow 1 child comment
  • [–] 5 points 2 months ago

    there's a certain poetry to someone making an uncritical game about a technology meant to cheat drivers out of a fair wage using a technology meant to cheat other disciplines out of a fair wage. the venn diagram of people who would make a game about this and make a game with AI is probably just a circle

  • source
  • parent