Unemployment Simulator 2018

Since the 1970s, video games have undergone tremendous development. Several generations have grown up with them, which has made them no longer just the domain of children and young people. Video games can serve as a release valve for everyday tensions, providing a space for imagination to flourish. Playing online allows individuals to connect with people from all over the world. Often, even those who are least inclined to play games have vivid memories of a particular game they immersed themselves in for days, if not weeks, during their childhood. Some have disappeared and have yet to fully return to the real world.

In addition to Jaakko Pietiläinen’s video piece created with a video game engine, the exhibition includes two video games that visitors can play. The first, Unemployment Simulator 2018 by Samuel Lehikoinen, is an autobiographical game that explores themes of male loneliness and the Finnish social welfare system. In this game, players take control of a man living alone in a two-room apartment, monitoring various indicators to ensure he does not succumb to boredom or hunger.