The daily life of an office worker, be it corporate-like or other in-office experiences, can be exhausting. Rude customers, nosy coworkers, and overbearing bosses may make life more difficult, but it also creates a treasure trove for game developers to take inspiration from and parody so that players might feel a bit better about their experience.
Many games that parody office jobs tackle issues of dealing with mundane and annoying matters, being overworked, and being expected to complete tasks outside of one’s job description. Whatever it might be, after a long day in the office, there are plenty of games to be played that might take one's in-office experience and make it funny.
8 Death & Taxes
Death & Taxes, by Placeholder Gameworks, is a 2D short narrative-based game. The player is the Grim Reaper who has an office job, and the clerical duties include deciding who lives and dies. As a result, the world changes due to these choices.
The player can choose to try and preserve the normalcy around them or plot the destruction of the world in order for a chance at promotion. As the Grim Reaper in this game, the player must talk to their boss, decorate their desk, choose their office outfit, and catch elevators.
7 The Stanley Parable
The Stanley Parable by Galactic Cafe follows Stanley (and not Stanley) as the player explores a unique, newly empty office and is followed by a disembodied narrative voice. This game is all about the player finding things that fit their job description, doing activities outside of their job description, working to solve puzzles, finding and breaking rules, and encountering the many paradoxes present within.
Perhaps much like someone who is new to a job, there are many purposefully and delightfully confusing elements to this game that the player must find out on the fly to finish the game. All with the help of the witty narrator, of course.
6 The Political Process
A game literally about holding office, The Political Process from Verlumino Studios LLC features an in-depth, dynamic turn-based simulator about running for office in the United States. The player must choose a political affiliation, develop and write legislation, balance budgets, and strategize to defeat opponents.
The player can explore more than 40 different political positions in order to develop fiscal and social ideology, then enter the vast world of simulated politics in order to achieve election wins. The customization allows players to take holding office very seriously, or completely up-end society.
5 Papers, Please
Papers, Please from Lucas Pope engages in a dystopian document thriller where the player works at a border checkpoint and must check documentation from immigrants. The player’s job is to filter out the visitors from smugglers, spies, and terrorists. However, the job is not quite as simple as the orders make it seem.
This game aims to make commentary on the fictional country’s immigration system and politics, while also pushing the player to feel invested in the current state of the country. The player must investigate the given papers closely to make a thoughtful decision about allowing or denying entry in the best interests of the government.
4 Job Simulator
Job Simulator by Owlchemy Labs takes players through a simulator experience where they are working in a world taken over by robots. In this virtual reality experience, players learn how “to job” under these conditions, which includes performing tasks and taking out frustration on surroundings and bosses.
In addition, players can smash, bash, and eat questionable things from the trash. If working is a source of joy for players, what better game after a long day at work than another stressful and fun simulated job experience? There’s also infinite overtime.
3 Say No, More
Say No, More from Studio Fizbin takes players through the first rpg-NPG, NO!-playing game. Players control a new intern at a quirky company where workers love to say ‘YES!’ to everything and expect the intern to do the same.
The player’s goal is to introduce ‘NO!’ to the office by refusing absurd requests and tasks thrown their way during gameplay. This confuses coworkers and throws everything around them into chaos. This game aims to parody workplace culture and etiquette, and players will surely love saying ‘NO!’ to everything asked of them.
2 CorpoNation: The Prologue
CorpoNation is an upcoming game with a current free-to-play prologue available on Steam. From Canteen, this game has the player working hard to sort genetic samples in order to gain money to put back into the economy. Of course, players are only allowed to buy state-approved decorations and plants and play state-approved games available on the computer.
Players must also keep an eye out for pesky coworkers who might entice them to betray the company leadership. Actions lead to later consequences in-game, and the players are trusted by CorpoNation to take their work very seriously.
1 Killer Frequency
If being asked to take on more responsibility without a change of job title or compensation was a game, Killer Frequency by Team17 Digital delivers. In this game, the player is a radio DJ that must deal with a mysterious killer haunting both the town and the office.
The main character is tasked with helping with 911 calls sent to their radio show hotline in an effort to keep the town residents safe from the Whistling Man and perhaps piece together the puzzle of why he is out to get everyone. The player can work the 1980s DJ booth, solve puzzles around the office, and answer life-and-death phone calls in this horror-comedy game.