ColdType Issue 210 - Mid-July 2020

Page 5

News | Views | Opinions

Insights

CRIME PAYS: Screenshot shows a series of images from the computer game Private Prison Tycoon.

Alan MacLeod

Playing games with life behind bars

A

new game called Prison Empire Tycoon is going viral. Released in late May, it has become the current number one strategy game in Apple’s App Store and has been among the top 20 most popular games overall since its launch,

with at least three-million downloads to date. In line with many other popular business simulation games such as the Railroad Tycoon and Rollercoaster Tycoon series, where users create huge transport networks or design and run their own theme parks, the point of Prison Empire Tycoon is

to make money running a private American prison. During the tutorial at the start, a baton-wielding guard instructs you, telling you that “the state pays us good money” to manage the “lowlifes” they send your way. “It’s a perfect business”, he says, as he shows you how to send inmates to solitary confinement, something that is near-universally described as torture. The game is undeniably well put together, with a clear, functioning world and appealing, chunky graphics. And judging from the extremely positive ColdType | Mid-July 2020 | www.coldtype.net

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