Game development used to be something I dabbled in and off, and despite having chosen to major in Computer Science to follow a career in the field, I never managed to establish any consistency with it.

So I relegated this aspiration to the realm of pipe dreams, something whose idea I preferred to the actual process of doing it, and I continued working as a software engineer.

This only changed after a disruption to my job: the fintech I worked for got acquired by a big traditional bank and we were absorbed into their ranks.

Long story short: it wasn't a culture fit.

After six months, I decided to quit; earning a salary was the only thing keeping me there.

With all this newfound free time, I decided to give game dev another chance. I would never get back those six months, but I could use them as fuel for creative inspiration.

That's how the idea of wageslave came to be: I wanted to embody the absurdity of the 9 to 5 into an interactive format. As well as include winks and nods to developer culture.

I don't know if I was successful with this goal, but it's been lots of fun creating it as well as being a cathartic experience for me. I am actually enjoying the process and not just the results. So much so that I'm aiming to complete at least two more projects before I reevaluate whether this is viable.

I initially planned on releasing the game for free, but in the spirit of taking game dev seriously, I will be selling it for a small amount.

Feel free to try the demo, I'd be happy to hear about any feedback!

Somehow when I started the game I wasn't able to get out of bed. Tried clicking, arrow keys, WASD, etc. Not sure what the controls are or if there's a bug? I'm on OSX Chrome.

Otherwise, like the idea and the dreadful atmosphere! Was curious how the game plays.

Wow. I did in few mins! It hit hard when even though I was typing fast, manager said I was falling behind in my tasks! Great game. Loved it, but pretty depressing, like my job!