Game about private hire drivers

 

I recently discovered this gem of a game by Financial Times (https://ig.ft.com/uber-game/) which I personally think would be really helpful to get students to experience and then discuss about the gig economy specifically about private hire drivers.

The UBER game lets players make choices (some simple but other tougher ones) a private hire driver would make. The player gets to earn 'money' and complete quests (with bonuses) just like a driver would. 

What was more interesting was that you had an overall goal of earning enough money for your livelihood considering the various costs and liabilities you have in your life (including the vehicle you use to drive).

In the end, an overview page shows all the choices the player makes and that includes decisions that were not necessarily monetary in nature. They also made comparisons based on the aggregated statistics from all other players and that provided some perspectives on how others played or thought. 

I did not have the chance to play this other game called freerice but it looks like a fun and meaningful activity to do with English language students or even as part of a pop quiz. Apparently, https://freerice.com/ allows players to donate rice to families in need by playing a multiple-choice quiz game. For every question the user answers correctly, ten grains of rice are donated via the United Nations World Food Programme. Check it out!