Jobs and Gender
Reviewing Reality
Two interviewees - a very real game crafted by Mauro Vanetti about jobs and gender - exposing the ugly inequality in our society.
Right off the bat, you know the main value of the game is going to be gender inequality as you're faced with a man and woman getting interviewed for separate jobs but are asked the same questions. Now the answer that the interviewer replies with are where it gets interesting - you may even get frustrated from how you're treated - I, a female for sure did.
Despite the short length of this game - it said a lot about job opportunities and unfairness. You would no doubt play this game a few times to get through all the outcomes and consequences of your choices. So no doubt this game kept us seated and hooked in.
Let's address the let downs first, just to get it over and done with. The opening menu is clustered and messy with credits and finding the start button proved to be a challenge. Also being a grammar perfectionist, I spotted the misspelling of coffee (cooffe) however this may be due to the fact that it was not translated to English as there is a choice of five different languages -English, Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese - which is no doubt handy for non-English speakers. Why do we need a save file when the game is fairly short? There seems to be an over adequate amount of save slots as well. Also, what is the point of the save option if you cannot load the file? To me this seems to add unnecessary complication and components to the game.
Another improvement the game could have is more options and outcomes. We as players like multiple different choices and endings. Yes, there is a fair amount of choices throughout the game, however the outcomes are either the man gets hired or dismissed and the woman no matter what she does, will not get hired. In a way, this does show the inequality and injustice, however, the audience can fair with a few more choices.
This game is about being judged so yes is discomforting yet informative. The first choice the player gets to make is whether to wear jewelry or not. Whatever the player chooses applies to both the man and female and you guessed it - a man wearing jewelry is labelled unprofessional. The interviewer noted gay?" for the man and "elegant and pretty". If both choose to abandon jewelry then the man is labelled "good looks" where as the women - "sloppy." The common question of "how would you describe yourself" was asked. If "ambitious professional was your reply, the man would be labelled resolute and the woman arrogant. Already you can see a pattern forming and the theme of inequality is becoming more apparent. This game really makes players question: why the same answer to the same question given by two people of different genders have such a different reaction from the interviewer. Both men and women are capable of performing the same job, however women are judged much more harshly and are given less chances of employment. This was where the frustration kicked in - no matter how many times the game is replayed, the woman never gets hired. This made me realise that in a way there is truth to this. Women still get paid less despite being in the same position as a man in the company. This game really brought attention to this issue.
As always, the art and graphics must be commented upon. The art style isn't what I would categorize as pretty but it's unique, clean and eye catching, almost giving off the pop-art vibe. The choice of colour made the game aesthetic, I, for one, was drawn towards it. However, aesthetics are not the point of the game, but the value - awareness of inequality. The simplicity of the game and art made players focus on the questions and problems at hand than the background and details. The idea of the split screen is neat. It almost seems like it's happening simultaneously and as if both the man and women are pretty much the same character therefore enhancing the idea of inequality even more as both characters have the same qualities, personality and behaviour - the only difference being gender. Music isn't a major detail but I might as well comment on it. You know the music that's blasted in fancy elevators? Yep that's what you hear throughout the game. However it's not noticeable as it becomes white noise almost. But having something in the background somehow makes the game feel smoother and less boring than just plain silence and questions like an interrogation.
The controls are relatively simple, no glitches as there is only one control after all. Just pick the choice you want to reply with with just the tap of your finger. There is a tab underneath the start button called stats which shows you facts about unemployment, and women and men in a workplace which could prove interest to player. These stats are also revealed at the end of each game.
This isn't a typical game as there is no such thing as power-ups or leveling up. There is however something similar to the life bar and that is whether the interviewer likes your answer or not and at the very end you get a grade which determines whether you get hired or not. instead of focusing on winning, the focus is more on the narrative and issues portrayed in the game. Many mobile games are leaning towards this style of being informing over entertaining and that in a way has changed game history.
Inequality is still a major issue and this game has done more than well to bring it to attention. This game is definitely a good play, leaving you either in deep thought or frustration. However i wouldn't call it child friendly as they would no doubt get bored with the serious toned questions in a common interview.