of how this is manifesting. “Groups like Game
Workers Unite are a fine example of a turning
tide in the conversation about workplace
organisation and the power of workers to enact
real change in their industry.”
“We’re aware of where we’re at in history,”
says Benson. “It’s not like every worker co-
operative that’s formed is made up of people
who see it as an anti-capitalist act, and many just
see it as a better, more egalitarian way to run a
business. For us, though, it has a strong political
component because we’re aware of the times
we’re in and the industry we’re part of. It’s kind
of inescapable. We’re conscious of what the
concept of a worker co-op means in the current
space and choosing to do this was definitely a
way of putting our convictions about capitalism
and production and collaboration into practice.
“Really, though, you don’t have to be cool
anti-capitalists like us to start one of these,” he
jokes. “No one, like, checks your socialism card
when you set one up. But I mean, it’s 2019.
Look around.”
We don’t yet know what The Glory Society are
working on, but in some fashion, it will reflect the
political awareness that’s reflected in the studio’s
structure. Hockenberry and Benson’s previous
game, Night in the Woods, threads commentary
on a changing economic landscape and its
effects on a small town, based on Hockenberry
and Benson’s experiences, into protagonist
Mae’s personal story of struggles with mental
health. “As a writer, Night in the Woods and any
games we’ll probably make in the future are very
much based on personal experiences, and those
experiences are very much based on politics and
capitalism, so it would be really hard for me to
separate those out or not to think of them,”
Hockenberry explains. “For this same reason, it
would be hard for me to have the opportunity to
start a business and not want to address a lot of
the issues I came across as a worker in my
past jobs.”
Pixel Pushers’ politics are unashamedly being
expressed in their upcoming game, Tonight We
Riot, a brawler where you control a crowd of
workers liberating comrades on the way to
overthrowing the forces of capitalism. If that all
sounds very serious, it’s worth noting that the
game does also have a sense of fun.
“Tonight We Riot isn’t a manifesto,” Anderson
clarifies. “It’s a tongue-in-cheek take on how you
have to fight for your rights (sometimes against
giant mech suits). While the politics of the game
are a serious matter that we feel need
representation in the world of games, we also
realise that without a bit of levity it can quickly
become overwrought and more of a moralising
lesson than a fun gameplay experience, so we’ve
done our very best to ride that line carefully.
We want to make sure the player has a good
time, but also hope that they walk away with
some class consciousness as well.”OFFICE POLITICS
The way that the politics of these studios’
organisational structures are reflected in their
games, and vice versa, are important. There’s
been a general and welcome trend towards“we realise that
without levity, it
can quickly become
overwrought
and more of a
moralising lesson” Bethany Hockenberry and Scott Benson
were threading political themes into their
games before forming The Glory Society.A world without bosses?Interface
48 / wfmag.cc