ASAP, PLZ: a retro game about working in marketing
We’re incredibly privileged to be able to work from home. It’s a luxury not available to many. But, staying at home 24/7 still sucks. We’re fondly thinking back to our office lives: the meaningful relationships we formed (great for LinkedIn recommendations), soggy Pret sandwiches we ate at our desks and company-sponsored drinks on the last Friday of the month.
If you’re missing the trials and tribulations of office-based grind, we have just the thing. Over the past couple of months, we’ve been developing a free game called ASAP, PLZ, which is all about working in marketing. The rules are simple: you’ll be given random tasks, and as the game progresses, you need to up your speed to get the most points.
We wanted to gamify the ordinary, turn all these daily work annoyances into something entertaining. If you miss awkwardly fumbling with the HDMI cable in a meeting room, you can now do that online – and compete with your colleagues on who gets the most points.
The game was created as a joint venture between East London-based YRS TRULY, an award-winning creative studio with a focus on social content, and Good Praxis, a digital co-op creating meaningful work for ethical companies.
When the idea for ASAP, PLZ was conceived, we imagined marketing teams playing in the office together, competing for the top score and cheering each other on. Unfortunately, we live in a different world now, in which ASAP, PLZ is an office simulator for workers stuck at home.
Retro gaming fans will be delighted to hear ASAP, PLZ was created with Sega Mega Drive in mind. Lead developer Maciej Baron from Good Praxis explained the thought process behind that decision: “The technical limitations imposed by retro hardware create exciting creative challenges. You have to be clever when designing your assets and implementing gameplay. What you end up with is a more authentic experience, compared to games that just try to mimic the retro aesthetic.“
ASAP, PLZ is out now and free to play in your browser at asapthegame.com, where the nerdiest of you can also download the game ROM.
MJ Widomska, founder and creative director, YRS TRULY
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YRS TRULY
YRS TRULY is an award-winning creative studio based in East London. We create content that works. What makes us special?Our data-driven approach, our ethics and our independence. We specialise in community-first marketing, gaming content and reaching Gen Zs on TikTok.
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