Layoff: The Game managing to cut jobs

Adjust for inflation, the federal bailout of $8.5 trillion is more expensive than every war the US has ever fought, the Louisiana Purchase, the Marshall Plan, the New Deal, and the Nasa Space Program COMBINED."

Tiltfactor and the collaborative Values at Play project are proud to announce the release of the new casual computer game, LAYOFF.

Developed by the Tiltfactor Lab, Dartmouth College, and the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Game Design and Development program, LAYOFF is an examination of the current financial scandal.

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LAYOFF uses a simple casual game paradigm to comment on the current state of the US financial crisis. Both friends and strangers face tough times in an unstable economy. Part dark humor, part grim portent, in the game players play from the side of management needing to cut jobs, and match types of workers in groups in order to lay the workers off and increase workforce efficiency.

Team Credits:
Mary Flanagan, Design
Based on the initial idea by Angela Ferraiolo
Greg Kohl, Programming
Jennifer Jacobs, Art
Grace Peng, Art
Paul Orbell, Music
Content Development, James Bachhuber Video, Anna Lotko and Chris Takeuchi Playtester, Brendan Scully

Players save more money by laying off five workers at once, initiating a bank takeover. When players get stuck, they can click on bank bailout to improve their chances.

This is not the first game to tackle the financial crisis. The Bailout Game lets players dish out bailout funds in a board game setting before the recession settles in. Another game, Bush's Billions, pits former President Bush against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi in a "bank heist shootout" over $700 billion in bailout funds.